Meredith Clausen reveals the enormous power that Belluschi wielded as an arbiter of taste and decision-maker in the 1950s and 1960s; his role in shaping the policy of the State Department in its overseas building program; and his role in securing major commissions for favored architects such as I.M. Pei. Equally important is Clausen's discussion of Belluschi's role in the development of regionalism in the Pacific Northwest and its impact on the definition of modernism as it was emerging in the United States.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
"All new things built with the idea of preserving the beauty of the city and adding to it." -A. E. DoyleThe Central Library, Benson Hotel, Reed College, the Meier & Frank building, the U.S. National Bank-these are just a few of the grand Portland icons designed by Albert E. Doyle. During a period of rapid growth in Portland, Oregon, after the Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition and before the Great Depression, Doyle (1877-1928) was the city's most important architect. Beauty of the City is the first biography of this celebrated architect. Doyle's career was short, just twenty-one years. Yet everywhere Portland retains his imprint. Many of Doyle's classical, often white terra-cotta buildings became venerable city landmarks. He also designed Portland residences, Neahkahnie beach cottages, and houses and banks in Oregon and Washington.Using A. E. Doyle's own diaries and letters and his firm's records, historian Philip Niles traces the architect's life and times in the context of the burgeoning cityscape. As Portland expanded beyond its frontier origins and provincialism, Doyle helped introduce East Coast and European sophistication. Indeed, his refined sensibility influenced the development of the Northwest Regional Style by Pietro Belluschi and John Yeon, among others. Doyle set the standard for elegance and proportion that later architects adapted to more modern styles-his standard defines Portland's vibrant core and contributes to the city's beauty as much today as it did eighty years ago.Readers interested in Northwest history and culture will appreciate this compelling and richly illustrated biography of "Portland's architect" and the parallel story of the growth of the city. Likewise, architectural historians and those seeking to better understand Portland's architectural heritage will enjoy reading of Doyle's contributions to this celebrated cityscape.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
This book marks the rediscovery of a vital voice in midcentury debates on modernism in architecture Published in conjunction with the exhibition 'Quest for Beauty: John Yeon's Eye for Art, Architecture, and the Oregon Landscape' at the Portland Art Museum (working title), opening May 13, 2017 Exceptionally beautiful archival photography by masters of the era, including Maynard Parker, Roger Sturtevant, and Ezra Stoller John Yeon (1910-1994) is a pioneering figure in architecture, who paved the way for the Northwest Regional style of modernism. Known for a series of exceptionally beautiful houses - including the Watzek House, a National Historic Landmark - Yeon's architecture was celebrated for its subtle relationship to site and place, and its sensitive deployment of local materials. His far-reaching innovations in construction and early sustainable design, and his stylistic freedom, anticipated several later movements, ranging from ecological modernism to postmodern eclecticism. Yet Yeon's scope of activities stretched far beyond architecture: he was also a planner, conservationist, art collector, historic preservationist, urban activist, and perhaps most of all, a connoisseur. John Yeon Architecture, the first in-depth monograph on Yeon, presents more than 25 built and unbuilt projects for houses, gardens, small public buildings, and exhibitions. Four perceptive essays explore Yeon's life and career: his characteristic design style, his position in the development of Northwest modernism, and his influential role in the stylistic debates of the 1940s and 1950s. John Yeon will be the subject of an exhibition at the Portland Art Museum opening May 13, 2017. It will focus on his art collection (promised to the PAM) but also on his architecture and other activities. This book and the book below are the only books accompanying the exhibition. PAM director Brian Ferriso has written the preface to the book, and Randy Gragg (editor of the book) is one of the curators of the exhibition."
John Yeon is today known primarily for residential designs that announced, during the mid-twentieth century, a modern architecture for the Pacific Northwest. It was architecture characterized by astute siting and a sensitive use of wood, with planning that graciously accommodated contemporary living. His devotion to each project was complete, one reason for the relatively small number of realized works. Although regarded by some as a "regionalist," Yeon himself resisted that categorization, arguing for architecture appropriate to its place, time, and people. John Yeon: Modern Architecture and Conservation in the Pacific Northwest presents detailed accounts of the three interrelated spheres that comprised John Yeon's life: architecture, conservation, and art collecting. As an architect, he quickly established a national reputation with the completion of the Watzek house in Portland in 1937, and its exhibition and publication shortly thereafter. As a preservationist, his advocacy for causes like the Columbia River Gorge--efforts that spanned almost half a century--saved from development or despoliation several substantial parcels of land in the Gorge and along the Oregon Coast. Over the years, he also assembled an important collection of artworks, to a large degree centered on Asian ceramics and paintings, but bolstered by substantial holdings of European furniture and other applied arts, and works by certain contemporary artists. John Yeon: Modern Architecture and Conservation in the Pacific Northwest will appeal to all readers interested in architecture and its preservation, the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, and the appreciation and display of art.
How a building and the reaction to it signaled the end of an era; the transformation of architectural practice in the context of New York City culture and politics.
In 1883, railroad financier Henry Villard brought Portland and the Pacific Northwest their first transcontinental railroad. Earning a reputation for boldness on Wall Street, the war correspondent turned entrepreneur set out to establish Portland as a bourgeoning metropolis. To realize his vision, he hired architects McKim, Mead & White to design a massive passenger station and a first-class hotel. Despite financial panics, lost fortunes and stalled construction, the Portland Hotel opened in 1890 and remained the social heart of the city for sixty years. While the original station was never built, Villard returned as a pivotal benefactor of Union Station, saving its iconic clock tower in the process. Author Alexander Benjamin Craghead tells the story of this Gilded Age patron and the architecture that helped shape the city's identity.
The story behind a little-known episode in the annals of modern architecture and psychology—a 1950s creativity study of the top architects of the day, including Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Philip Johnson, Louis Kahn, Richard Neutra, George Nelson, and dozens more—is now published for the first time. The story of midcentury architecture in America is dominated by outsized figures who were universally acknowledged as creative geniuses. Yet virtually unheard of is this intensive 1958–59 study, conducted at the Institute of Personality Assessment and Research at the University of California, Berkeley, that scrutinized these famous architects in an effort to map their minds. Deploying an array of tests reflecting current psychological theories, the investigation sought to answer questions that still apply to creative practice today: What makes a person creative? What are the biographical conditions and personality traits necessary to actualize that potential? The study’s findings have been gathered through numerous original sources, including questionnaires, aptitude tests, and interview transcripts, revealing how these great architects evaluated their own creativity and that of their peers. In The Creative Architect, Pierluigi Serraino charts the development, implementation, and findings of this historic study, producing the first look at a fascinating and forgotten moment in architecture, psychology, and American history.
