Henry P. Glass
Encyclopedia
Henry P. Glass was an American designer, architect, author, and inventor.
. He was denounced, sent to Dachau, then transferred to Buchenwald
, where captors discovered his talents and forced him to design a cemetery for Nazi officers. He was finally released in 1939 through the intervention of his wife at the Gestapo
in Berlin. Later during World War II, he assisted the US military by drawing a plan of the camp from memory.
He immigrated to New York City in 1939, worked for Russel Wright
and for Gilbert Rohde
on the Anthracite Pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair. Glass moved to Chicago in 1942, where he worked as a designer of office furniture for the war effort and studied under László Moholy-Nagy
and György Kepes
at the IIT Institute of Design
. He soon established a career as a furniture and product designer, and opened his own design firm, Henry P. Glass Associates at the Furniture Mart in 1946. A William J. Brenner sofa designed by Glass was used on the living room set of the I Love Lucy
show during the 1952-53 season.
Henry was a great admirer of R. Buckminster Fuller and he made a deposit on Fuller's Dymaxion House
, a prefabricated structure that could be assembled at any site. When none but two prototypes of this house were built, Henry decided to become the architect of his own passive solar home which was one of the first of its kind in America. The Henry P. Glass House was built in 1948 and it still stands on its original site in Northfield, Illinois.
In addition to running his own industrial design business, Glass convinced the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to create an industrial design department in 1946 where he served as a professor for more than twenty years.
The Henry P. Glass collection in the Ryerson & Burnham
Library Archives contains the original manuscript for Glass's book Design and the Consumer, his teaching lecture notes, product advertisements, brochures, and photographs. Several of his pieces are on permanent display in the American Art Collection at the Art Institute of Chicago
. His drawings and furniture scale models are much in demand by collectors.
Glass was awarded 52 US patents, of which 29 are referenced online. He was a Fellow of the Industrial Designers Society of America
and received numerous other awards.
He died on August 27, 2003, at the age of 91.
Architectural Work:
The Henry P. Glass House (1948) is arguably the first passive solar house in America and has been continuously occupied for over 60 years. Previous passive solar houses were either experimental or did not possess all the essential features of a solar home. In the Chicago area, George Fred Keck
had included some of these passive solar design features (roof overhang, N-S ventilation, masonry floor) in the Spence House in 1941.
Passive solar features of the Henry P. Glass House include:
His industrial designs include:
There are seven qualifications which should be present in an article to deserve this label. (of good design)
Biography
Born on 24 September 1911 in Vienna, Glass was trained as an architect at the Technical University of Vienna from 1929 to 1936. He married Eleanore Christine Knopp in March, 1937. Glass found early success designing interiors and furnishings for Vienna's bohemian elite until the AnschlussAnschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
. He was denounced, sent to Dachau, then transferred to Buchenwald
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
, where captors discovered his talents and forced him to design a cemetery for Nazi officers. He was finally released in 1939 through the intervention of his wife at the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
in Berlin. Later during World War II, he assisted the US military by drawing a plan of the camp from memory.
He immigrated to New York City in 1939, worked for Russel Wright
Russel Wright
Russel Wright was an American Industrial designer during the 20th century. Beginning in the late 1920s through the 1960s, Russel Wright created a succession of artistically distinctive and commercially successful items that helped bring modern design to the general public.-Designer:Russel...
and for Gilbert Rohde
Gilbert Rohde
Gilbert Rohde , whose career as a furniture and industrial designer helped to define American modernism during its first phase from the late 1920s to World War II, is best known today for inaugurating modern design at Herman Miller Inc...
on the Anthracite Pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair. Glass moved to Chicago in 1942, where he worked as a designer of office furniture for the war effort and studied under László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.-Early life:...
and György Kepes
György Kepes
György Kepes was a Hungarian-born painter, designer, educator and art theorist. After emigrating to the U.S. in 1937, he taught design at the New Bauhaus in Chicago...
at the IIT Institute of Design
IIT Institute of Design
Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology , originally founded as the New Bauhaus, is a graduate school teaching systemic, human-centered design.- History :...
. He soon established a career as a furniture and product designer, and opened his own design firm, Henry P. Glass Associates at the Furniture Mart in 1946. A William J. Brenner sofa designed by Glass was used on the living room set of the I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
show during the 1952-53 season.
Henry was a great admirer of R. Buckminster Fuller and he made a deposit on Fuller's Dymaxion House
Dymaxion house
The Dymaxion House was developed by inventor and architect Buckminster Fuller to address several perceived shortcomings with existing homebuilding techniques. Fuller designed several versions of the house at different times, but they were all factory manufactured kits, assembled on site, intended...
, a prefabricated structure that could be assembled at any site. When none but two prototypes of this house were built, Henry decided to become the architect of his own passive solar home which was one of the first of its kind in America. The Henry P. Glass House was built in 1948 and it still stands on its original site in Northfield, Illinois.
In addition to running his own industrial design business, Glass convinced the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to create an industrial design department in 1946 where he served as a professor for more than twenty years.
The Henry P. Glass collection in the Ryerson & Burnham
Ryerson & Burnham
The Ryerson & Burnham Libraries are the art and architecture research collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The libraries cover all periods with extensive holdings in the areas of 18th, 19th and 20th century architecture and 19th century painting, prints, drawings, and decorative arts...
Library Archives contains the original manuscript for Glass's book Design and the Consumer, his teaching lecture notes, product advertisements, brochures, and photographs. Several of his pieces are on permanent display in the American Art Collection at the 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...
. His drawings and furniture scale models are much in demand by collectors.
Glass was awarded 52 US patents, of which 29 are referenced online. He was a Fellow of the Industrial Designers Society of America
Industrial Designers Society of America
Industrial Designers Society of America is an organization of professional industrial designers primarily in the United States. Recently IDSA has started chapters in Canada and in China...
and received numerous other awards.
He died on August 27, 2003, at the age of 91.
Concepts, buildings and designs
Concepts: Efficiency in materials use, minimize waste in manufacturing, reduce environmental impact. Optimize shipping, portability & storage of furnishings by use of folding and collapsing design elements (This earned him the name "Folding Glass" in the industrial design community)Architectural Work:
- Warehouse Conversion to Apartment House (1934–37) Vienna, Austria
- Kling Studios (1946) Chicago, Illinois
- Henry P. Glass House (1948) Northfield, Illinois
- Alcoa Forecast Accordium Camp Trailer (1964) for Aluminum Corporation of America
- Ski Chalet (1965) Northern Michigan
- Prefab High Rise (1968) for Mobile Homes Manufacturing Association
The Henry P. Glass House (1948) is arguably the first passive solar house in America and has been continuously occupied for over 60 years. Previous passive solar houses were either experimental or did not possess all the essential features of a solar home. In the Chicago area, George Fred Keck
George Fred Keck
George Fred Keck was an American modernist architect based in Chicago, Illinois. He was later assisted in his practice by his brother William Keck.-Biography:...
had included some of these passive solar design features (roof overhang, N-S ventilation, masonry floor) in the Spence House in 1941.
Passive solar features of the Henry P. Glass House include:
- South facing structure maximizes heat from winter sun
- Large glass solar collection windows on south side
- Thermopane glass used in windows reduces heat loss
- Blinds over thermopane windows further reduce nighttime heat loss in winter
- Angled roof provides maximum sunlight in winter
- North-South cross ventilation in summer
- Roof overhang shades interior of house in summer
- Deciduous trees on south side provide shade in summer, allow light through in winter
- Berm on south side blocks winter wind
- Small windows on north side reduce heat loss in winter
- Concrete slab floor acts as a heatsink to absorb thermal energy in day, release at night
- Black finish on concrete floor improves thermal transfer
His industrial designs include:
- Inflatable Chairs (1941)
- Hairpin Leg Furniture (1942)
- Saran Weave Folding Lawn Recliner (1953)
- Swingline Children's Furniture (1954)
- Kenmar/Glass Omega Lounger (1957)
- Cylindra Furniture (1966) concept developed in 1942
- Cricket Chair (1978)
Prerequisites of Good Design Applied to Man-made Objects
From his book "The Shape of Manmade Things"There are seven qualifications which should be present in an article to deserve this label. (of good design)
- Function
- Aesthetics
- Matter
- Process
- Ecology
- Economy
- Originality