Jorge Arango
Encyclopedia
The architect Jorge Arango (1917 – 2007) was born in Bogotà
, Colombia, and educated in Chile, Colombia and at Harvard. Arango was invited to come to America by the Museum of Modern Art
in New York, and the U.S. State Department.
He was co-founder of the Arango design store in the Dadeland Mall
in South Miami in 1959 with his then wife, Judith. The store, which still exists, was an early beacon of good design, a pre-Luminaire. At Arango, designers could equip the 1960s Bauhaus-inspired homes in Coconut Grove with iitala glassware and Alvar Aalto
chairs.
An advocate of a minimalist architecture and maximum human value in design, Arango was a designer, educator, and writer. He taught architecture at the University of California Berkeley in the 1950s, For years he wrote passionate columns against developments in Miami like Bayside
, and condo towers that blocked the streets off from the water 3. He designed several modest-size homes in Miami that displayed his design credo: an open flow of rooms, natural breezes, large windows, no baseboards, small tiles in the bathroom, large tiles in the rest of the home.
He was a professor of Architecture at the District University of Bogotá, a columnist for the Miami Herald, and a correspondent for magazines like Metropolitan Home
and Elle Décor
. Over the years he wrote many books including “The Urbanization of the Earth” (1970), “Villa Sofia” (2003), and “Ecophilia: The Future Is Waiting” (2000).
Arango died in Miami on October 21, 2007, at home in Miami in hospice
care. He was survived by his third wife, Penelope, two sons and two daughters, and the design store.
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia, and educated in Chile, Colombia and at Harvard. Arango was invited to come to America by the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York, and the U.S. State Department.
He was co-founder of the Arango design store in the Dadeland Mall
Dadeland Mall
Dadeland Mall is a large enclosed shopping mall located in the Miami suburb of Kendall, Florida, in the Dadeland district. The mall, originally developed by the Joseph Meyerhoff Company of Baltimore, opened October 1, 1962 as a , open-air complex of sixty stores and services...
in South Miami in 1959 with his then wife, Judith. The store, which still exists, was an early beacon of good design, a pre-Luminaire. At Arango, designers could equip the 1960s Bauhaus-inspired homes in Coconut Grove with iitala glassware and Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware...
chairs.
An advocate of a minimalist architecture and maximum human value in design, Arango was a designer, educator, and writer. He taught architecture at the University of California Berkeley in the 1950s, For years he wrote passionate columns against developments in Miami like Bayside
Bayside Marketplace
Bayside Marketplace is a festival marketplace in Downtown Miami, Florida. It's in between Bayfront Park to the south end, and the American Airlines Arena to the north. As Bayside's name suggests, it wraps along the banks of the Biscayne Bay....
, and condo towers that blocked the streets off from the water 3. He designed several modest-size homes in Miami that displayed his design credo: an open flow of rooms, natural breezes, large windows, no baseboards, small tiles in the bathroom, large tiles in the rest of the home.
He was a professor of Architecture at the District University of Bogotá, a columnist for the Miami Herald, and a correspondent for magazines like Metropolitan Home
Metropolitan Home
Metropolitan Home was a magazine published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. The magazine focused on "high-end modern design and interiors, blended with intelligent reporting, to connect with a progressive reader mindset." It was originally published from 1974 through 1981 as Apartment Life,...
and Elle Décor
Elle Decor
Elle Decor is a magazine published by Hearst Magazines, who bought Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011, that focuses on home decor.-Featured designers:...
. Over the years he wrote many books including “The Urbanization of the Earth” (1970), “Villa Sofia” (2003), and “Ecophilia: The Future Is Waiting” (2000).
Arango died in Miami on October 21, 2007, at home in Miami in hospice
Hospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
care. He was survived by his third wife, Penelope, two sons and two daughters, and the design store.