William Lescaze | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lescaze in a 1948 whiskey advertisement | |
| Born | William Edmond Lescaze (1896-03-27)March 27, 1896 Onex,Canton of Geneva, Switzerland |
| Died | February 9, 1969(1969-02-09) (aged 72) New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | ETH Zurich École des Beaux-Arts |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Lee Lescaze |
| Practice | Lescaze & Associates Howe & Lescaze Hubbell & Benes |
| Buildings | |
William Edmond LescazeFAIA (March 27, 1896 – February 9, 1969) was aSwiss-bornAmericanarchitect, city planner and industrial designer. He is ranked among the pioneers of modernism in Americanarchitecture.
Lescaze was born inOnex, Switzerland. He studied at theCollège Calvin and at theÉcole des Beaux-Arts, before completing his formal education at theETH Zurich, whereKarl Moser was a teacher,[1] receiving his degree in 1919.
Lescaze contributed to the post-World War I reconstruction effort inArras,[1] and then immigrated to the United States in 1920. He worked for some time at the architectural firm ofHubbell & Benes inCleveland, Ohio, and taught French at the local YMCA's night classes.[2]
In 1923, he was offered a modeling job and moved toNew York City where he set up his business. His first major work was the design of the Oak Lane Country Day School outside Philadelphia.[2] After a brief time in New York, he returned toCleveland.[3]
In 1927, he designed the Sutton House Apartments project in New York City. Income from the project allowed him to move back to New York City.[3]
In 1929,Philadelphia architectGeorge Howe invited William Lescaze to form a partnership, Howe & Lescaze. Within just a few weeks after joining forces, the duo began work on a large project for downtown Philadelphia. The resulting structure, completed in 1932, was thePhiladelphia Savings Fund Society (PSFS) Building, which is today generally considered the firstInternational Modernistskyscraper, and the first International Style building of wide significance in the United States. It was also the first building with full air conditioning.[2] Lescaze is generally given credit for the design: letters from Howe to Lescaze quote the former insisting to the latter that "the design is definitely yours." The structure replaced the bank'sformer headquarters in Philadelphia, a classicist structure nearWashington Square built in 1897.
In 1930, Howe & Lescaze submitted a design for the new building of theMuseum of Modern Art in New York.[4] The wood and metal model was donated to the MOMA in 1994. In 1935, William Lescaze established his own architecture firm, Lescaze & Associates.[2]
His 1937Alfred Loomis house in Tuxedo Park, NY is regarded as an early experiment indouble-skin facade construction.[5] In 1939 he designed a futuristic "House for 2089" that included ahelipad on the roof.[6]
Lescaze was also the design lead for the 1937Williamsburg Houses in Brooklyn, a pioneering 20-building modernist housing project modeled on European examples. He later taught industrial design at thePratt Institute (1943–1945). Among his built works were theCBS West Coast studiosColumbia Square onSunset Boulevard (1938).
Lescaze also designed the office building at 711 Third Avenue, the city and municipal courts building in theCivic Center in Manhattan, and theHigh School of Art and Design. From 1949 to 1959, he served at the State Building Code Commission[2] He was a proponent of modern architecture, stating it was the only architecture that could solve the housing problem.
He was married to Mary Hughes. His sonLee Adrien Lescaze (1938–1996) was an editor forThe Washington Post.[2]
Lescaze died on February 9, 1969, of a heart attack at his home at211 East 48th Street inManhattan.[2]
