Davis Allen | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1916-07-13)July 13, 1916 Ames, Iowa, United States |
| Died | May 13, 1999(1999-05-13) (aged 81) |
| Alma mater | Brown University National Swedish Institute for Building Research Yale School of Architecture |
| Occupation(s) | Architect Interior designer Furniture designer |
Davis Allen (July 13, 1916 – May 13, 1999) was an American architect, interior, and furniture designer. He was noted as a pioneer in the design of interior corporate environments and had a forty-year tenure atSkidmore, Owings & Merrill.[1]
Davis Brewster Allen was born in Ames, Iowa and then lived in Illinois. He was educated atBrown University, theRoyal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and theYale School of Architecture. He served in the US Army during World War II.[1][2][3]
After first working atKnoll, and then with the architectural firmHarrison & Abramovitz, he moved to Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in 1950. He became a partner in 1965, and remained at SOM until his retirement in 1990.[1]Paola Antonelli of theMuseum of Modern Art described Allen's "contribution to defining the modern office" as "enormous".[4]
In 1983 he designed the "Andover" chair forStendig International.[5] After Stendig was acquired byBurlington Industries, which eventually went out of business, this design was reintroduced by Knoll in 1993 as the "Exeter" chair.[3] Allen also designed furniture forSteelcase, GF, Stow Davis,Bernhardt, and Hickory Business Furniture.[3]
David Rowland, the designer of the40/4 chair, gives credit to Allen, who "liked the design and immediately" and "put me in touch with GF", the 40/4 chair's eventual manufacturer.[6][7]
In 1985, Allen was inducted into the Interior Design Magazine Hall Of Fame.[2][8][1]
Examples of Allen's designs are in held in museums such as theArt Institute of Chicago, sought by collectors, and sold for large sums at auction.[9][10]
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