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Thousands upon thousands of us drive by the vacant Pirelli Building every day; its forlorn billboardy presence prompts wistfulness, curiosity and concern. When will Marcel Breuer's historic yet modernist creation be used for something more than to provide free advertising for its current owner, Ikea, to hawk its products?
Preservationists note the building, prominently situated at the intersection of interstates 95 and 91, has been usused since May 1999. That's 11 years of vacancy.
Breuer oversaw the Pirelli Tire Building construction from 1968-1970. Architecture Week called the bold structure "an icon of modern architecture."
First it was used by the Armstrong Rubber Co. After Armstrong left and the idea of a giant mall was shot down in 2000, Ikea executives expressed interest in the site.
But they wanted to demolish the Pirelli Building. City officials talked them out of this horrible notion, yet allowed Ikea to take down the rear warehouse. Ikea built its big store next door, opening in July 2004.
"It was saved from demolition but it's not used," said John Herzan, services officer for the New Haven Preservation Trust. "Just as you need someone to live in a house, you want...