The 5th Floor Renovation

Modernizing the FEU's historic artist studios, honoring the legacy of the 100 year old artistic residency

Phase 2: renovating the historic 5th Floor Artist Studios

This page presents Phase 2 of the FEU’s Second Century Campaign: the renovation of the artist studios within the FEU’s iconic Art Deco building, restoring them for future generations while advancing the FEU’s foremost responsibility – stewardship of its architectural heritage.

The completed project will establish a fully funded residential artistic residency program: the first Villa Americaine in Paris, created in celebration of the FEU’s Centennial in 2030.

Find out more about the Second Century Campaign –>

A Living Heritage to Preserve

For nearly a century, the historic 5th Floor live-work studios have welcomed American artists and scholars to live, create, and collaborate in Paris. The studios range from 11-42 m², and are open to every artistic discpline.

Feedback from residents and recent technical assessments point to the aging condition of the facilities. Without renovation, the quality of these spaces will continue to decline, threatening one of the FEU’s defining programs and its longstanding commitment to Franco-American exchange.

Guided by VIGUIER Architects, the renovation will:

  • Restore the full volume and natural light of the top floor
  • Create larger, light-filled live-work studios across a range of disciplines
  • Improve accessibility and expand shared spaces for collaboration and community
  • Upgrade sustainability and comfort, providing stable climate conditions for artworks and historic instruments

The Model

This renovation is designed around three principles: restoring heritage architecture for contemporary creative life; preserving a historic building with sustainability at the core of both construction and operation; and creating the shared spaces that collaboration and artistic exchange require.

Hear from the Principal Architect at VIGUIER on the vision of the 5th floor renovation.

To learn more about the architectural concept, timeline, and estimated budget, consult the full project presentation prepared by VIGUIER Architects, who have generously contributed their expertise pro bono in support of the FEU’s public-interest mission.

Project Documents

Current conditions

The vision

PROJECT DETAILS

    • Structural work and mezzanine extension
    • New waterproofing
    • Exterior joinery & roof work
    • Full technical upgrades
    • Interior redesign of 16 studios with private bathrooms
    • Creation of shared spaces and a communal kitchen with a mezzanine

  • 2026–2027
    Fundraising campaign

    Spring 2027
    Finalization of studies and drawings

    Summer 2028
    Start of construction*

    Fall 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.

    • 17 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, nearly a century after its construction, the 5th Floor has never undergone a major renovation. Aging infrastructure now limits the use of the studios, reduces residents’ quality of life, and jeopardizes the future of this historic artist residency. Key challenges include:

    • Poor insulation and inadequate climate control
    • Difficulty protecting artworks & historic instruments
    • Outdated building systems and infrastructure
    • Limited accessibility and insufficient shared spaces

    The live-in work studios range from 11–42 m² and share a small common kitchen, two toilets that are not accessible, and an outdated single use show facilities on the floor.  For safety reasons, the FEU has already reduced the number of studios available. Without investment, capacity will continue to decline, threatening one of Paris’s longest-standing Franco-American artist residency programs.

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