The Arts Building

Capped by a large, semi-cantilevered, hyperbolic paraboloid plywood roof, the Arts Building, was built 1965-1967 as a gallery for the artwork of Ben Shahn, a dear friend of the Nakashimas. The three small rooms accessible by covered walkway are known as the Cloisters. Given by Marion Nakashima to the Foundation for Peace in 2002, it opened the door to the Nakashima property being listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings in 2008, and in 2014 it was designated a National Historic Landmark. After including the site on the 2014 World Monuments Watch list, World Monuments Fund partnered with the Nakashima Foundation for Peace to create a sustainable plan for the complex. This led us to a robust training plan for our younger craftspeople in the technical skills needed to steward this unique complex into the future.

In 2014, the Nakashima Foundation for Peace and George Nakashima Woodworkers entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Pennsylvania which allows for the study and documentation of the Nakashima complex. The Masters thesis by Cesar Bargues Ballester (2015) provided an informed understanding of the Arts Building and Cloister through an examination of its history, design and construction, changes over time, and a comprehensive building conditions assessment. As a conclusion, this thesis presented a series of recommendations for both the physical preservation and the long-term stewardship of the building.

In 2017, thanks to the Getty Foundation “Keeping It Modern” initiative, the project team from the Penn Praxis/Architectural Conservation Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania issued a conservation and management plan for the Arts Building and Cloister.

Most recently, the plywood hyperbolic paraboloid roof of the Arts Building has been successfully repaired and restored in keeping with the original design. In 2024, a new heating system was installed. We have taken steps to reduce our carbon footprint, and in consultation with the Penn Energy Audit, we replaced our outdated oil furnace with a new, highly efficient electric heat pump and cooling system in the Arts Building and Cloisters. This system grants us better temperature and humidity control for our unique structures and archival storage space. System components will be covered with elements that match the Nakashima aesthetic and maintain the Arts Building historic design.