Happy Birthday ICP

On the evening of November 15^th 1974 the International Center of Photography opened its doors for the first time to for an exhibition.

.

November 16th 1974 was declared to be “International Center of Photography Day” by then New York City Mayor Abraham D. Beame, this was a proclamation made again by Mayor Rudy Giuliani in November 16th 1994.

ICP’s first home was in the historic Willard Straight House, a mansion located on the corner of 94^th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The 94^th street building was purchased on July 15^th 1974 and cost $625,000 (Henry Margolis supplied the $25,000 cash down payment).

From the Cornell Capa Papers the purchase of the building:

Before the physical location of the ICP uptown there were many talks, presentations, workshops, publications and exhibitions relating to the early ICP and the concept of Concerned Photography. The Concerned Photography events took place in New York and all over the world.

Exhibitions, events and talks like The Concerns of Roman Vishniac: Man, Nature and Science which is organized by the International Fund for Concerned Photography and opened at the Jewish Museum in 1971.

Key dates for the ICP:

•  ICP was incorporated June 28, 1974 by a provisional charter issued by the NY State Dept of Education *
• The building at 1130 Fifth Avenue was purchased July 15^th 1974 by the International Fund for Concerned Photography for $625,000.
• ICP opened for its first exhibitions November 15^th
• Before the International Center of Photography there was The Fund for Concerned Photography incorporated as a 501(c) (3) on December 10th 1965
  
• The name change: The Fund for Concerned Photography was changed to The International Fund for Concerned Photography, Inc. On December 3^rd 1969

*BTW, the charter lists the incorporating Board as: Cornell Capa, Howard M. Squadron, Harvey Karp, Henry M. Margolis, Nina Rosenwald, David Finn, and Rita Hillman. By 10/10/74 (per filing with IRS for tax exempt status) several other trustees were added: Thomas Hess, Beverly Karp (replacing Harvey Karp), Karl Katz, Jerry Mason, Bess Myerson, Frederic S. Papert, Louis Salton, Susan Tepper, Edward M. M. Warburg, and Lester Wunderman.

Happy Birthday ICP
https://icplibrary.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/happy-birthday-icp/

Founders Scrapbook
https://icplibrary.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/icp-the-founders-scrapbook-1974/