Armand Phillip Bartos
Encyclopedia
Armand Phillip Bartos was an American
architect
and philanthropist
.
Though highly active as a philanthropist, Bartos became primarily known as the co-designer of Shrine of the Book
that houses the Dead Sea Scrolls
in western Jerusalem.
Bartos's various and diverse activities, primarily not architecturally focused, included service as the chairperson emeritus of the SculptureCenter, Long Island City, Queens
, New York.
in architecture
from the University of Pennsylvania
and, in 1935, a master's degree
in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT).
apartment in New York City
. Celeste became fabulously wealthy as a result of inheriting the estate of her father, Samuel Gottesman
(1885-1956), a Hungarian émigré who had become a pulp-paper merchant and financier.
With Celeste, Bartos had a son, Adam, and, from his first marriage, had sons, Armand Jr. and Michael, and daughter Mary Bartos. Through his marriage to Celeste, his stepdaughter was Jenifer Altman (1941-1991), also a philanthropist and a victim of cancer, and stepson Jonathan Altman.
(1890–1965), an odd association considering that Bartos was pragmatic and mild-mannered and Kiesler was unorthodox and cerebral. Nevertheless, Bartos joined Kiesler in minor projects, such as a two-storey art gallery in New York's Carlyle Hotel
as an early realization of Kiesler's "Endless House" concept. "The Struggle for New Forms" was the 1957 inaugural exhibition there.
Their highest-profile commission, never to be equaled or surpassed by either of them together or separately, was the Shrine of the Book
, completed in 1965 in Jerusalem. It was funded by a foundation established by Samuel Gottesman's family to honor him. It, after all, was to house the scrolls that Gottesman himself had purchased as a gift to the State of Israel
. However, numerous Israel
i architects were miffed by Bartos's participation due to his being an American and, especially, having been chosen through nepotism, though he was Jewish. Kiesler, also a Jew, was even less acceptable to the Israeli architectural establishment, based on his having never finished his architecture studies in Vienna
and having built nothing.
About the structure—cited as the best of 1965 by the American Institute of Architects
(AIA)—Bartos offered: "The scrolls are not visual as a Rembrandt is visual. Only scholars can actually decipher them. It was up to us [Kiesler and me] to say something about them. [Thus] we built up an air of mystery” (Time magazine, April 30, 1965).
From 1962, he was the principal partner of Armand Bartos & Associates in New York City. The practice designed Belfer Hall (1968) and a number of other buildings at Yeshiva University
in New York City, Franczak Hall (1976) at the University of Buffalo/SUNY in New York State and others.
$100,000 toward the Rotch Library expansion project in the School of Architecture building and donated US$1 million for the establishment of the The Celeste and Armand Bartos Visualization Center, a classroom facility completed in 1999. And there have been the Celeste Bartos Forum auditorium and, 2002, the Bartoses paid $8.5 million for the Celetes and Armand Bartos Education Center, both within the New York Public Library
. The Bartoses have been generous contributors to the library throughout the years as well as to other institutions, such as The Museum of Modern Art, Art Institute of Chicago
, and Bartos Institute for the Constructive Engagement of Conflict, in the Montezuma Castle (Daniel Burnham
, architect), Montezuma, New Mexico
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
Though highly active as a philanthropist, Bartos became primarily known as the co-designer of Shrine of the Book
Shrine of the Book
The Shrine of the Book , a wing of the Israel Museum near Givat Ram in Jerusalem, houses the Dead Sea Scrolls—discovered 1947–56 in 11 caves in and around the Wadi Qumran...
that houses the Dead Sea Scrolls
Dead Sea scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
in western Jerusalem.
Bartos's various and diverse activities, primarily not architecturally focused, included service as the chairperson emeritus of the SculptureCenter, Long Island City, Queens
Long Island City, Queens
Long Island City is the westernmost neighborhood of the borough of Queens in New York City. L.I.C. is notable for its rapid and ongoing gentrification, its waterfront parks, and its thriving arts community. L.I.C. has among the highest concentration of art galleries, art institutions, and studio...
, New York.
Education
In 1934, Bartos received a bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and, in 1935, a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT).
Family
He married heiress Celeste Gottesman, who had previously married Jerome John Altman in 1935. Likewise, Armand was a divorcé. The Bartoses became generous philanthropists, concentrating on culture, particularly twentieth-century art of which they were an avid collectors, filling their Park Avenue (Manhattan)Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
apartment in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Celeste became fabulously wealthy as a result of inheriting the estate of her father, Samuel Gottesman
Samuel Gottesman
David Samuel Gottesman , was a Hungarian-born, American pulp-paper merchant, financier and philanthropist. He was generally known as Samuel Gottesman or D. Samuel Gottesman.-Pulp-paper:...
(1885-1956), a Hungarian émigré who had become a pulp-paper merchant and financier.
With Celeste, Bartos had a son, Adam, and, from his first marriage, had sons, Armand Jr. and Michael, and daughter Mary Bartos. Through his marriage to Celeste, his stepdaughter was Jenifer Altman (1941-1991), also a philanthropist and a victim of cancer, and stepson Jonathan Altman.
Architecture
From 1957 to 1962, Bartos was an architecture partner of Frederick John KieslerFrederick John Kiesler
Frederick John Kiesler...
(1890–1965), an odd association considering that Bartos was pragmatic and mild-mannered and Kiesler was unorthodox and cerebral. Nevertheless, Bartos joined Kiesler in minor projects, such as a two-storey art gallery in New York's Carlyle Hotel
Carlyle Hotel
The Carlyle Hotel, known formally as The Carlyle, is a combination luxury and residential hotel located at 35 East 76th Street on the northeast corner of Madison Avenue, in the Upper East Side area of New York City...
as an early realization of Kiesler's "Endless House" concept. "The Struggle for New Forms" was the 1957 inaugural exhibition there.
Their highest-profile commission, never to be equaled or surpassed by either of them together or separately, was the Shrine of the Book
Shrine of the Book
The Shrine of the Book , a wing of the Israel Museum near Givat Ram in Jerusalem, houses the Dead Sea Scrolls—discovered 1947–56 in 11 caves in and around the Wadi Qumran...
, completed in 1965 in Jerusalem. It was funded by a foundation established by Samuel Gottesman's family to honor him. It, after all, was to house the scrolls that Gottesman himself had purchased as a gift to the State of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. However, numerous Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i architects were miffed by Bartos's participation due to his being an American and, especially, having been chosen through nepotism, though he was Jewish. Kiesler, also a Jew, was even less acceptable to the Israeli architectural establishment, based on his having never finished his architecture studies in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and having built nothing.
About the structure—cited as the best of 1965 by the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
(AIA)—Bartos offered: "The scrolls are not visual as a Rembrandt is visual. Only scholars can actually decipher them. It was up to us [Kiesler and me] to say something about them. [Thus] we built up an air of mystery” (Time magazine, April 30, 1965).
From 1962, he was the principal partner of Armand Bartos & Associates in New York City. The practice designed Belfer Hall (1968) and a number of other buildings at Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
in New York City, Franczak Hall (1976) at the University of Buffalo/SUNY in New York State and others.
Philanthropy
In the early 1990s at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Bartoses' gave USUnited States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$100,000 toward the Rotch Library expansion project in the School of Architecture building and donated US$1 million for the establishment of the The Celeste and Armand Bartos Visualization Center, a classroom facility completed in 1999. And there have been the Celeste Bartos Forum auditorium and, 2002, the Bartoses paid $8.5 million for the Celetes and Armand Bartos Education Center, both within the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
. The Bartoses have been generous contributors to the library throughout the years as well as to other institutions, such as The Museum of Modern Art, Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, and Bartos Institute for the Constructive Engagement of Conflict, in the Montezuma Castle (Daniel Burnham
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
, architect), Montezuma, New Mexico
Montezuma, New Mexico
Montezuma is an unincorporated community in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. It is located about five miles northwest of the city of Las Vegas, New Mexico....
.