1950 in architecture
Encyclopedia
The year 1950 in architecture involved some significant events.
Buildings
- Alas BuildingAlas BuildingThe Alas Building is a residential and office building located in the San Nicolás section of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It stands at a height of 141 metres and houses 41 floors....
completed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The tallest building in Buenos Aires between 1950 and 1996, surpassed by the Le Parc towerLe Parc towerLe Parc Tower is a high-rise building located at the intersection of Avenida Cerviño and Fray Justo Santamaria de Oro in the neighborhood of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina....
. - Eames HouseEames HouseThe Eames House is a landmark of mid-20th century modern architecture located at 203 North Chautauqua Boulevard in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles...
(pictured) in Santa Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, designed by Charles and Ray Eames is completed. - Estádio do MaracanãEstádio do MaracanãThe Estádio do Maracanã , officially Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, is an open-air stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Owned by the Rio de Janeiro State Government, it is named after the Maracanã neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro. It was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup, and in the final...
opening day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The largest stadium in South America, and host to the 2016 Summer Olympics2016 Summer OlympicsThe 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, are a major international multi-sport event to be celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee...
. - Frank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
completed construction of several Usonian style houses across the United States. Refer to the List of Frank Lloyd Wright works.- John D. Haynes House in Fort Wayne, IndianaFort Wayne, IndianaFort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. - FountainheadFountainhead (Jackson, Mississippi)Fountainhead in Jackson, Mississippi, also known as J. Willis Hughes House, is a Usonian house designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It was built in 1950 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.-References:...
(J. Willis Hughes House) in Jackson, MississippiJackson, MississippiJackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. - Thomas Keys ResidenceThomas Keys ResidenceThe Thomas E. Keys Residence is a house in Rochester, Minnesota designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built with earth berms in 1950. The design is based on a previous Wright design for a cooperative in Detroit, Michigan, which never materialized due to the onset of World War II...
in Rochester, MinnesotaRochester, MinnesotaRochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
. - Richard C. Smith HouseRichard C. Smith HouseThe Richard C. Smith House is a Frank Lloyd Wright designed Usonian home that was constructed in Jefferson, Wisconsin in 1950. It is one of Wright's diamond module homes, a form he used in the Patrick Kinney House, the E. Clarke and Julia Arnold House and a number of other homes he designed in the...
in Jefferson, WisconsinJefferson, WisconsinJefferson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, and is its county seat. It is located at the confluence of the Rock and Crawfish Rivers. The population was 7,338 at the 2000 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Jefferson.-History:...
. - J.A. Sweeton ResidenceJ.A. Sweeton ResidenceThe J.A. Sweeton Residence was built in 1950 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. At , it is the smallest of the four Frank Lloyd Wright houses in New Jersey. This Usonian scheme house was constructed of concrete blocks and redwood plywood....
in Cherry Hill, New JerseyCherry Hill, New JerseyCherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...
.
- John D. Haynes House in Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Hyart TheaterHyart TheaterThe Hyart Theater was built in Lovell, Wyoming by Hyrum "Hy" Bischoff in 1950. It is a rare Wyoming example of a cinema from the early 1950s. The building is notable for the turquoise-colored metal lattice screen that covers a pink metal facade, as well as for its tall neon pylon sign.The Bischoff...
was built in Lovell, WyomingLovell, WyomingLovell is a town in Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 2,281 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lovell is located at ....
by Hyrum "Hy" Bischoff. - Mutual of New York BuildingMutual of New York Building1740 Broadway is a 26-story building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City which is owned by Vornado Realty Trust...
completed in Times SquareTimes SquareTimes Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
, New York City. The architects Shreve, Lamb and HarmonShreve, Lamb and HarmonShreve, Lamb, and Harmon was the architectural firm best known for the 1931 Empire State Building, the tallest building in New York, and the world, at that time....
also designed the Empire State BuildingEmpire State BuildingThe Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
. - Neutra Office BuildingNeutra Office BuildingThe Neutra Office Building is a office building in the Silver Lake section of Los Angeles, California. The building was owned and designed by Modernist architect Richard Neutra in 1950. It served as the studio and office for Neutra's architecture practice from 1950 until Neutra's death in 1970...
completed in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
designed by modernistModern architectureModern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
architect Richard NeutraRichard NeutraRichard Joseph Neutra is considered one of modernism's most important architects.- Biography :Neutra was born in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Vienna, Austria Hungary, on April 8, 1892. He was born into both-Jewish wealthy family...
and used as his office until his death in 1970. - United Nations HeadquartersUnited Nations headquartersThe headquarters of the United Nations is a complex in New York City. The complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River...
completed by Wallace HarrisonWallace HarrisonWallace Kirkman Harrison , was an American architect.-Career:Harrison started his professional career with the firm of Corbett, Harrison & MacMurray, participating in the construction of Rockefeller Center...
(director of planning) in ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. The Secretariat BuildingUnited Nations Secretariat BuildingThe United Nations Secretariat Building is a tall skyscraper and the centerpiece of the United Nations Headquarters, located in the Turtle Bay area of Manhattan, in New York City. The lot where the building stands is considered United Nations territory, although remains part of the United States.-...
(by Le CorbusierLe CorbusierCharles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
and NiemeyerOscar NiemeyerOscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho is a Brazilian architect specializing in international modern architecture...
) completed two years later.
Events
- Larkin Administration BuildingLarkin Administration BuildingThe Larkin Building was designed in 1904 by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1906 for the Larkin Soap Company of Buffalo, New York. The five story dark red brick building used pink tinted mortar and utilized steel frame construction. It was noted for many innovations, including air conditioning,...
in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
is demolished. It was designed by Frank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
in 1904.
Awards
- AIA Gold MedalAIA Gold MedalThe AIA Gold Medal is awarded by the American Institute of Architects conferred "by the national AIA Board of Directors in recognition of a significant body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture."...
- Patrick AbercrombiePatrick AbercrombieSir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie ) was an English town planner. Educated at Uppingham School, Rutland; brother of Lascelles Abercrombie, poet and literary critic.-Career:...
. - Royal Gold MedalRoyal Gold MedalThe Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture....
- Eliel SaarinenEliel SaarinenGottlieb Eliel Saarinen was a Finnish architect who became famous for his art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century....
. - Grand Prix de Rome, architecture: (unknown).
Births
- Herzog & de MeuronHerzog & de MeuronHerzog & de Meuron Architekten, BSA/SIA/ETH is a Swiss architecture firm, founded and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland in 1978. The careers of founders and senior partners Jacques Herzog , and Pierre de Meuron , closely paralleled one another, with both attending the Swiss Federal Institute of...
:- April 19 - Jacques Herzog
- May 8 - Pierre de Meuron
- October 31 - Zaha HadidZaha HadidZaha Hadid, CBE is an Iraqi-British architect.-Life and career:Hadid was born in 1950 in Baghdad, Iraq. She received a degree in mathematics from the American University of Beirut before moving to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.After graduating she worked...
- Hafeez ContractorHafeez ContractorHafeez Contractor is an Indian architect. He is a member of the Bombay Heritage Committee and New Delhi Lutyens Bungalow Zone Review Committee.-Early life:Hafiz Contractor was born in Bombay in a Parsi family...
- Richard Feilden (died 2005)
Deaths
- July 1 - Eliel SaarinenEliel SaarinenGottlieb Eliel Saarinen was a Finnish architect who became famous for his art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century....
(born 18731873 in architectureThe year 1873 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* The Berlin victory column in Berlin, Germany is completed and inaugurated.* Midland Grand Hotel in London, United Kingdom is opened, the largest hotel in the world at the time....
) - August 31 - Maciej NowickiMaciej Nowicki (architect)Matthew Nowicki was a Polish architect....
(born 19101910 in architectureThe year 1910 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* Casa Milà in Barcelona, designed by Antoni Gaudí is completed.* The Renauld Bank in Nancy, designed by Émile André and Paul Charbonnier, is completed....
) (in TWA Flight 903 disaster)