Roland A. Wank | |
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 Roland A. Wank | |
| Born | Roland A. Wank (1898-04-06)6 April 1898 |
| Died | (1970-01-22)22 January 1970 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | Hungarian,American |
| Alma mater | Royal Joseph Technical University,Budapest |
| Occupation | Architect |
Roland A. Wank (1898–1970) was aHungarian-Americanmodernistarchitect, best known for his work for theTennessee Valley Authority in theUnited States.
Wank was educated at theRoyal Joseph Technical University inBudapest. He worked as an architect inAustria until 1924 when he emigrated to the United States.
Wank was recruited by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933 as that organization's first chief architect. His first work for them was to designNorris, a settlement for TVA workers. He went on to redesign theNorris Dam itself, taking the existing engineering proposal and simplifying its overall appearance, removing ornament, and pulling the structural masses into a more coherent and dramatic spatial composition. Wank also opened the powerhouse to public view, with a reception room staffed with information officers. Although the original engineers were not pleased, the TVA Board was, and Wank went on to give a distinctively modern look to subsequent TVA projects like theFontana Dam, theChickamauga Dam, and theHiwassee Dam.
At the Fontana Dam, Wank collaborated with well-known industrial architectAlbert Kahn on the design of "A-6" prefabricated house types in the workers' town of Fontana, North Carolina, meant to house 5000 workers. Fontana Village is now a resort. Wank also went on to collaborate withFellheimer & Wagner as the design architects for theCincinnati Union Terminal building, many corporate buildings in New York and New Jersey, structures for the New Jersey Turnpike and a branch department store (1951) in Montclair, New Jersey for Newark-based Hahne & Company.
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