Harrison & Abramovitz
Encyclopedia
Harrison & Abramovitz was an American architectural firm based in New York and active from 1941 through 1976, a partnership of Wallace Harrison
Wallace Harrison
Wallace 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...
and Max Abramovitz
Max Abramovitz
Max Abramovitz was an architect best known for his work with the New York City firm Harrison & Abramovitz.- Life :...
.
The firm was best known for modernist corporate towers on the east coast and midwestern cities. Most are straightforward. One notable stylistic innovation was the use of stamped metal panels on the facade, first at the 1953 Alcoa Building in Pittsburgh, and repeated at the 1953 Republic Center
Republic Center
Republic Center is a mixed-use complex at 300 N. Ervay Street and 325 N. St. Paul Street in the City Center District of downtown Dallas, Texas , adjacent to Thanks-giving Square. The complex is located diagonally across the street from DART's St. Paul Station, which serves its , and light rail...
Tower I in Dallas and the 1956 former Socony-Mobil Building at 150 East 42nd Street in New York City.
Both Harrison and Abramovitz were design architects and worked independently. Some projects are clearly attributable to one or the other: for instance the buildings at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Abramovitz's alma mater, are his designs. Harrison's work at the Empire State Plaza
Empire State Plaza
The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza is a complex of several state government buildings in downtown Albany, New York....
"commanded his attention almost exclusively" for 15 years, from 1962 through 1976, which implies the other work of the partnership in that period is primarily attributable to Abramovitz. After 1976 Abramovitz partnered with others.
The firm was also known as Harrison, Fouilhoux
J. André Fouilhoux
Jacques André Fouilhoux was an engineer and architect from Paris, France who partnered with architects in Salem, Oregon and New York City. He was in the United States ca. 1904....
& Abramovitz (1941 through Fouilhoux's death in 1945), Harrison, Abramovitz, & Abbe, and Harrison, Abramovitz, & Harris.
Work
The firm's credits include:- Corning Museum of GlassCorning Museum of GlassThe Corning Museum of Glass, in Corning, New York, explores every facet of glass, including art, history, culture, science and technology, craft, and design....
, Corning, New YorkCorning (city), New YorkCorning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,842 at the 2000 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company that developed the community.- Overview :The city of...
, 1951 - 525 William Penn Place525 William Penn Place525 William Penn Place was completed in 1951 for the Mellon National Bank and the U.S. Steel Corporation. At tall, it was the second tallest building in Pittsburgh until 1970, the third tallest until 1984. The building has 41 floors and approximately of office space...
, Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1951 - Regional Enterprise TowerRegional Enterprise TowerThe Regional Enterprise Tower is a skyscraper in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, formerly known as the Alcoa Building. It was completed in 1953 and has 30 floors. It is the 15th tallest building in the city and is adjacent to Mellon Square...
, originally the Alcoa Building, Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1953 - Republic CenterRepublic CenterRepublic Center is a mixed-use complex at 300 N. Ervay Street and 325 N. St. Paul Street in the City Center District of downtown Dallas, Texas , adjacent to Thanks-giving Square. The complex is located diagonally across the street from DART's St. Paul Station, which serves its , and light rail...
Tower I, Dallas, TexasDallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, 1953 - U.S. Embassy, now the United States Interests Section in HavanaUnited States Interests Section in HavanaThe U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is inaccessible from within Cuba. Consular issues regarding the naval base are handled by the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica.-Location:...
, Cuba, 1953 - Socony-Mobil Building, 150 East 42nd Street, NYC, 1956
- 129 West Trade129 West Trade129 West Trade is a skyscraper in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was built in 1958 and has 15 floors. The building is clad with 3,822 - 2,000 pound precast concrete facade panels which measure 5.5 by 6 feet ....
, Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, 1958 - Chase TowerChase Tower (Milwaukee)The Chase Tower is a 22-story, high-rise building in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Built in the International style, the building has with a very dark green, almost black, façade. It is located alongside the Milwaukee River....
, Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, 1961 - Springs Mills Building (Charles H. Abbe, chief designer), 104 West 40th Street, New York, 1961-63, a designated New York City Landmark.
- Jerome L. Greene Hall, Columbia Law SchoolColumbia Law SchoolColumbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
, New York City, 1961 - Continental Can Building, New York City 1961
- Assembly HallAssembly Hall (Champaign)Assembly Hall is a large dome-shaped indoor arena, located in Champaign, Illinois, and is part of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign....
, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 1963 - Erieview TowerErieview TowerThe Erieview Tower is a skyscraper located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The building has 40 stories, rises to a height of 529 ft , and has of office space...
, Cleveland, OhioCleveland, OhioCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, 1964 - Columbus CenterColumbus Center (Ohio)Columbus Center is a 357ft tall skyscraper in Columbus, Ohio. It was completed in 1964 and has 25 floors. It is the 12th tallest building in Columbus, and the tallest constructed in the 1960s. The building served as the headquarters of Bank One prior to its merger with First Chicago NBD, and...
, Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, 1964 - Main Place TowerMain Place TowerThe Main Place Tower is located at 350 Main Street, in Buffalo, NY. The skyscraper is the fourth tallest building in the city, and home to a large number of technology and communication firms, as well as the law firm Cellino and Barnes. The tower is connected to the Main Place Mall, downtown's...
, 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...
, 1969 - PNC Center, Akron, OhioAkron, OhioAkron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, 1969 - Fiberglas Tower, Toledo, OhioToledo, OhioToledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, 1970 - U.S. Steel TowerU.S. Steel TowerU.S. Steel Tower, also known as the Steel Building , is the tallest skyscraper in Pittsburgh, the fourth tallest building in Pennsylvania, and the 37th tallest in the United States. Completed in 1970, the tower has 64 floors to and has of leasable space. Its original name was the U.S. Steel...
, originally the USX Tower, the tallest building in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1970 - 11 Stanwix Street11 Stanwix Street11 Stanwix Street, formerly known as and still frequently referred to as the Westinghouse Tower, is one of the major distinctive and recognizable features of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, originally the Westinghouse Tower, Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1970 - National City TowerNational City TowerNational City Tower is a skyscraper in Downtown, Louisville, Kentucky, United States, and located at 101 South Fifth Street. Completed in 1972, the 40-story, high structure was designed by architects Wallace Harrison and Max Abramovitz based on the timeless designs of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe...
, Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, KentuckyLouisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, 1972 - Borden BuildingBorden BuildingThe Borden Building is a 438ft , 34 floor, tall skyscraper in Columbus, Ohio. It was topped out on May 9, 1973, and completed the next year. Harrison & Abramovitz designed the building, which is the 9th tallest in Columbus. It has 52,842 m² of floor space....
, Columbus, Ohio, 1973 - Learning Research and Development CenterLearning Research and Development CenterThe Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh is an interdisciplinary center focused on describing, understanding, improving, and researching various aspects of human cognition, learning in order to improve and reform instruction and training in schools, the...
, University of PittsburghUniversity of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, 1974