Austrian Cultural Forum New York
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| Established | 1942 |
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| Location | 11 East 52nd Street, Manhattan, New York, United States |
| Director | Christine Moser |
| Website | www.acfny.org |
The Austrian Cultural Forum New York is one of Austria’s two cultural representation offices in the United States; the other is in Washington, D.C. It is part of the worldwide network of Austrian Cultural Forums of the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.
The Austrian Cultural Forum New York was founded as the Austrian Institute in 1942 in New York City by Austrian immigrants to the United States for the purpose of preserving and disseminating Austrian culture. One of the leading figures of that time was émigré Irene Harand.
In 1963, it opened offices at its current location at 11 East 52nd Street in Manhattan, as the official cultural representation office of the Austrian federal government. In 2002, the institution, now called the Austrian Cultural Forum, moved into a new building at the same address. The Cultural Forum is a division of the Austrian consulate in New York.
Since September 1, 2007, it has been headed by Andreas Stadler. His predecessors include Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Wolfgang Waldner, Peter Marboe, Fritz Cocron, and Wilhelm Schlag.
Architect Raimund Abraham was the winner among 226 submissions in a competition held in 1992 to choose a design for the ACF’s new building. Completed in 2002, the building is situated on a plot in Manhattan that is only 24.5 feet (7.5 m) wide and 81 feet (25 m) deep. It is considered as an architectural anomaly because despite its small footprint it is 24 stories and 275 feet (84 m) tall. The building’s facade is clad in glass and aluminum and gradually tapers to a narrow point as the building slants upwards. The structure is regarded as one of the most interesting architectural projects in recent New York history. It houses exhibition spaces, a theater, a library for books and audio recordings, offices, seminar and reception rooms, and apartments for the officers of the institution.
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