The 5th Floor Renovation

Modernizing the FEU's historic artists' studios - Honoring the legacy of the 100 year old artist residency

Modernizing the FEU's historic artists' studios - Honoring the legacy of the 100 year artistic residency

This page highlights Phase 2 of the Centennial Campaign: renovating the historic 5th Floor Artist Residency. This project will transform the artist studios within the FEU’s iconic Art Deco Building, giving them new life while advancing the FEU’s foremost responsiblity: stewardship of its architectural heritage for future generations. Below you will find an overview of the project, its governance and oversight structure, the role of the Steering Committee, and additional supporting resources. 

Beyond restoring a unique landmark of Franco-American heritage, this initiative will strengthen artistic exchange between France and the United States for decades to come. Donors and partners who join this campaign will play a direct role in shaping the future of artistic creation in Paris.

A Living Heritage to Preserve

For nearly a century, the historic fifth-floor studios of the Fondation des États-Unis (FEU) have welcomed American artists and scholars to live, create, and collaborate in Paris. Comprising 17 live-work studios ranging from 10 to 40 square meters, the residency offers a rare environment for artistic creation, enriched by shared spaces that foster community and interdisciplinary exchange.

Today, feedback from residents together with technical assessments highlights the aging condition of the facilities. Without renovation, the quality of these spaces will continue to decline, placing at risk one of the FEU’s defining programs and its longstanding commitment to Franco-American artistic exchange.

A Project for the Future

This renovation will demonstrate how a historic building can be thoughtfully reimagined to meet the needs of contemporary artistic practice through three guiding principles:

  • Heritage Rehabilitation: Preserve the building’s historic architecture while adapting it to the evolving needs of today’s artists.
  • Sustainable Renovation: Improve the building’s energy performance and environmental sustainability while respecting its architectural character.
  • A Contemporary Artist Residency: Create inspiring spaces that encourage artistic production, collaboration, and exchange among American artists living and working in Paris.

To learn more about the architectural concept, project timeline, implementation strategy, and estimated budget, we invite you to consult the project presentation prepared by VIGUIER Architects, who have generously provided their expertise pro bono in support of the Fondation des États-Unis’ public-interest mission.

The Artistic Residency Renovation will empower a generation by

  • restoring

    the full volume of the top floor

  • expanding

    larger, equitable, light-filled live/work studios for a range of disciplines

  • improving

    accessibility and shared spaces for collaboration and community

  • upgrading

    to modern sustainability and comfort standards as well as provide stable climate conditions for artworks and historic instruments

Project Documents

PROJECT DETAILS

    • Structural work and mezzanine extension
    • New waterproofing
    • Exterior joinery & roof work
    • Full technical upgrades
    • Interior redesign of 17 studios with private bathrooms
    • Creation of shared spaces and a communal kitchen with a mezzanine

  • 2026–2027
    Fundraising campaign

    Printemps 2027
    Drawings finalized

    Été 2028
    Start of construction*

    Automne 2029
    Completion in advance of the FEU’s Centennial

    *During this period, artists typically hosted will be accomodated in other rooms within the building or elsewhere on the CiuP Campus.

    • 16 artists in residence with 13 disciplines represented
    • 50 free and public cultural events a year in the FEU’s renowned venues
    • 63% of residents begin a collaboration in first 3 months
    • Direct access to Paris’ leading cultural institutions
    • A bridge between US creativity and French cultural networks
    • Artist-led dinners and communal workshops

  • Today, through reports from residents and maintenance reviews, the 5th Floor demonstrates aging infrastructure, limiting use of the studios and threatening the future of the residency with:

    • Poor insulation and climate control
    • Difficulty protecting artworks & historic instruments
    • Outdated building systems
    • Limited accessibility and lack of communal space

    Without renovation, a cornerstone of Franco-American exchange risks being reduced.

Support the Project

  • You can make your donation in US Dollars here through Every.org (partner of Myraid USA), which will send you your tax receipt upon reception of donation.

    Through the FEU’s fiscal agent, Myriad USA, donations from the US are accepted with tax deduction eligiliby to the extent permitted by law.

     

  • You can make your donation in euros here through HelloAsso, which will send you your tax receipt upon reception of donation.

     

  • For nearly a century, the 5th-Floor Artists’ Residence has been an exceptional place where generations of American artists have come to live, create, and engage with Paris. Today, we have the opportunity not only to preserve this legacy but to reinvent it to meet the needs of contemporary artistic practice. It is a matter of not just restoring a historic building, but revitalizing a vibrant hub for creation, the passing on of knowledge, and Franco-American exchange.

    Every contribution directly supports the revival of a unique landmark of Franco-American heritage and helps provide the artists of tomorrow with spaces suited to the demands of contemporary creation.

Hear from the Artists

  • “The Fondation des États-Unis is a haven for creativity — a place to explore new ideas, take artistic risks, and grow alongside a vibrant community of talented artists in a beautiful, inspiring space.”

    Ariela Bohrod fellow HHW 2024-2025 HHW Fellow 2024-2025

  • “My time at the CIUP, and more particularly at the Fondation des États-Unis, is deeply precious to me. The years I spent there as a master’s student allowed me to meet students from all over the world and to interact with them on a daily basis. Whether it was cooking together while discussing the contributions of this or that philosophy, or simply enjoying an afternoon picnic stretched out on the lawns of the CIUP. I also met the most important person in my life, whom I later married, during my time at the FEU, and this thanks to the purpose and spirit of the CIUP: bringing together people from diverse cultures. For this, I will be eternally grateful.”

    Tierra Mcmahon Resident 2009-2012

  • “Living at the Fondation des États-Unis meant the pleasure of coming together with musicians, painters, sculptors, photographers, and artists from all other visual disciplines. Each studio on the fifth floor, visual artists on the left and musicians on the right, separated by a long corridor, became a space where the arts were shared: chamber music, experimental composition, painting, sculpture, throughout the year. It was also the chance, in the morning, to watch the sun rise from the terrace, and then to choose one’s breakfast across space and time, in a country of one’s choosing, just a ten-minute walk away in the park of the Cité internationale. It was the extraordinary richness of diversity, curiosity, and friendships from all over the world.”

    Bertille de BAUDINIERE Artist-in-Residence, 1983–1985

  • “The Fondation des États-Unis is a haven for creativity — a place to explore new ideas, take artistic risks, and grow alongside a vibrant community of talented artists in a beautiful, inspiring space.”

    Ariela Bohrod fellow HHW 2024-2025 HHW Fellow 2024-2025

  • “My time at the CIUP, and more particularly at the Fondation des États-Unis, is deeply precious to me. The years I spent there as a master’s student allowed me to meet students from all over the world and to interact with them on a daily basis. Whether it was cooking together while discussing the contributions of this or that philosophy, or simply enjoying an afternoon picnic stretched out on the lawns of the CIUP. I also met the most important person in my life, whom I later married, during my time at the FEU, and this thanks to the purpose and spirit of the CIUP: bringing together people from diverse cultures. For this, I will be eternally grateful.”

    Tierra Mcmahon Resident 2009-2012

  • “Living at the Fondation des États-Unis meant the pleasure of coming together with musicians, painters, sculptors, photographers, and artists from all other visual disciplines. Each studio on the fifth floor, visual artists on the left and musicians on the right, separated by a long corridor, became a space where the arts were shared: chamber music, experimental composition, painting, sculpture, throughout the year. It was also the chance, in the morning, to watch the sun rise from the terrace, and then to choose one’s breakfast across space and time, in a country of one’s choosing, just a ten-minute walk away in the park of the Cité internationale. It was the extraordinary richness of diversity, curiosity, and friendships from all over the world.”

    Bertille de BAUDINIERE Artist-in-Residence, 1983–1985

Architect: VIGUIER

In support of the Fondation des États-Unis Artistic Residency Renovation, VIGUIER has generously undertaken the project’s architectural concept design and cost estimation on a pro bono basis, placing its expertise at the service of the future of artistic creation in Paris.

Jean-Paul Viguier, Architect DPLG and a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Design (MCP UD ’73), is the founding president of VIGUIER architecture urbanisme paysage. A member of the Académie d’Architecture, he is also an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) and Honorary Professor at Tongji University in Shanghai.

Based in Paris, the firm has designed numerous landmark projects, including the French Pavilion at Expo ’92 in Seville, Parc André-Citroën, Majunga Tower in Paris-La Défense, and the Pont du Gard Museum. Winner of numerous international competitions, Jean-Paul Viguier has led major projects in Chicago, Rabat, Brussels, and Bordeaux. His work is distinguished by its seamless integration of architecture, urban design, and landscape.

Founded in 1992, VIGUIER is an internationally recognized Paris-based architecture practice known for innovative, sustainable design. Today led by seven partners, the firm combines long-term strategic thinking with multidisciplinary expertise spanning architecture, interior architecture, urban planning, and landscape design.

Renowned for developing forward-looking, site-specific solutions, VIGUIER has received numerous awards, including the BIM d’Or for the Hypérion Tower in Bordeaux. The practice employs advanced digital design technologies and an in-house model workshop to support a collaborative, data-driven design process. Guided by an ecosystem-based approach, VIGUIER works across every scale—from buildings to cities—to create architecture that responds to today’s environmental, social, and technological challenges.

VIGUIER website