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John CETRA & Nancy RUDDY
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orresponding passions for art and architecture drew Nancy Ruddy and John Cetra together as City College students in 1975. Ruddy joined architecture and design firm Perkins & Will in 1978, and Cetra came on board three years later. Working together was such a success that the husbandand-wife team decided to start their own firm — the eponymous CetraRuddy — in 1987. The duo has over 250 projects to their name, including One Madison and 242 West 53rd Street, a 426unit rental building slated to begin construction later this month, according to the website of developer Algin Management. Last month, TRD checked out CetraRuddy’s Soho office. B y J ulie S trickland
Bowl from Botswana
Historic postcards
Italian marble
During a trip to Botswana, Ruddy
Ruddy often travels overseas to select marble for
Ruddy began collecting historic
repeatedly admired the bowls
project finishes. This block is from a condo the firm
postcards about 15 years ago,
used by the cook at a camp
designed for Skyline Developers at 200
with a focus on international
where they stayed. The cook
East 79th Street. “I went to Italy and into
World’s Fairs. The collection
gave this bowl to her as a gift.
the stone caves there,” she said. “When we
spans fairs from Stuttgart
“It has this beautiful perforation,
find blocks that are the right thing, I like to
to Barcelona, and includes
this beautiful pattern,” Ruddy
get a little piece of them to take back. I carried it back
cards from the 1893 World’s
said. “It’s very near and dear to me.”
Columbian
in my suitcase.”
Exposition in
Chicago and, of course, the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs in Queens.
Ski man
Regatta hat and megaphone
Cetra said skiing is his prime
The New York architecture
passion outside of architecture. The
Saraswati painting
community has a yearly sailing
firm’s staff gave him this figurine
When client Ravichandran Nehru,
competition in New York Harbor.
10 years ago. They removed one of
chairman of TVH Homes in
Cetra and Ruddy have competed
the poles to suggest that he’s such a
Chennai, India, visited New York,
for three years. “You have to put
good skier he didn’t need both. Press
he gave Ruddy this painting of an
together a tribe — five on the boat
a button, and the figure dances.
Indian goddess, representing a
and then three who are allowed to
combination of wisdom and
be on the float cheering you on,”
warmth. “Our client felt that I
Ruddy said.
represented that, because the combination is so unusual,” Ruddy said.
Gray high-heeled booties
Film noir
The magazine Development New York named Ruddy one of its “14
Ruddy is a film noir
Women to Watch” in February. She was photographed for the cover
fanatic. “Watching a great
on a terrace at One Madison. “It was a horrible 5-degree, snowy day,
film after a long day is
so I had heavy snow boots on,” Ruddy recalled. The publisher loaned
my meditation,” she said,
The couple’s one child, Andrea, 20, is a student at the University
her stiletto heels “8 inches high” for
listing “Now Voyager” and
of Oxford. “We always say she’s our greatest project,” Ruddy said.
the shoot, which were retouched to
“Notorious” among her
The couple keeps the first little object Andrea ever constructed
look black. The publisher then
Daughter’s first construction
with hammer and nails on a shelf in the office.
favorites.
presented her with these boots at the magazine’s awards ceremony.
242 West 53rd Street model This model shows their newest building, which will start construction this month. It’s unusual because its shape morphs as it rises. The windows are recessed, creating some solar protection. “It’s nice if you can incorporate terraces and balconies into a residential building without making it look like it’s sticking out on the side of the building,” said Ruddy.
32 April 2014 www.TheRealDeal.com
PHOTOGRAPH OF John Ruddy and Nancy Cetra FOR THE REAL DEAL BY Christian Fernandez