Design
An Architectural Rescue Gone Wrong
A Brutalist complex meant to represent progressive government through ambitious design is no longer. What happened to Paul Rudolph’s Orange County Government Center?
There was a brief moment when it looked like the vacant Government Center in Orange County, New York, was on its way to a thoughtful restoration—a rare win for advocates of preserving the often-unpopular icons of Brutalist architecture.
Built in 1971 in the village of Goshen, the striking complex is composed of three buildings with 87 roofs; it’s revered for its audacious design and recognized as one of architect Paul Rudolph’s very best public projects.