Roger Montgomery
Encyclopedia
Roger Montgomery was a city planner, urban design
er, architect
, and educator.
to parents Graham Livingston Montgomery and Anne Cook and lived in Greenwich Village
until 1930, when he moved to Port Washington
, Long Island
. Roger's father died suddenly from a heart attack
in 1942. In 1945 he was accepted into the army
, where he served in an intelligence unit in occupied Germany
has a radio
operator. On April 23, 1949 Roger married Oberlin College
graduate Mary Hoyt. Roger has four sons, Richard Wallace (born 1956), Thomas Vinton (1958), John 1960, and Peter George (1965). In 1957 Roger was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
. He died of cancer
on October 25, 2003.
-influenced grade school in Port Washington, which emphasized mechanical skills over traditional subjects such as reading and writing. In high school he was voted ‘Most Likely to Succeed’ and ‘The Great Orator’. He was excused from military service in 1941 because of a punctured eardrum and subsequently enrolled in Oberlin College
, but was dismissed from the college in 1945. Roger began his architectural work in 1948 as an apprentice in Springfield, Ohio
and was soon successful, in part because of a shortage of architects and large post-war boom in construction. From 1955 to 1956 Roger attended the Harvard Graduate School of Design
where he received a Masters of Architecture degree under professors Josep Lluís Sert
and Sigfried Giedion
, while studying with classmates Fumihiko Maki
and Ben Weese.
Urban design
Urban design concerns the arrangement, appearance and functionality of towns and cities, and in particular the shaping and uses of urban public space. It has traditionally been regarded as a disciplinary subset of urban planning, landscape architecture, or architecture and in more recent times has...
er, 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 educator.
Biography
He was born in New York CityNew 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...
to parents Graham Livingston Montgomery and Anne Cook and lived in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
until 1930, when he moved to Port Washington
Port Washington, New York
Port Washington is a hamlet and census-designated place in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the community population was 15,846....
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. Roger's father died suddenly from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1942. In 1945 he was accepted into the army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, where he served in an intelligence unit in occupied Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
has a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
operator. On April 23, 1949 Roger married Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
graduate Mary Hoyt. Roger has four sons, Richard Wallace (born 1956), Thomas Vinton (1958), John 1960, and Peter George (1965). In 1957 Roger was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
. He died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
on October 25, 2003.
Training
Roger attended a John DeweyJohn Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
-influenced grade school in Port Washington, which emphasized mechanical skills over traditional subjects such as reading and writing. In high school he was voted ‘Most Likely to Succeed’ and ‘The Great Orator’. He was excused from military service in 1941 because of a punctured eardrum and subsequently enrolled in Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, but was dismissed from the college in 1945. Roger began his architectural work in 1948 as an apprentice in Springfield, Ohio
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
and was soon successful, in part because of a shortage of architects and large post-war boom in construction. From 1955 to 1956 Roger attended the Harvard Graduate School of Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Harvard Graduate School of Design is a graduate school at Harvard University offering degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning and Design.-History:...
where he received a Masters of Architecture degree under professors Josep Lluís Sert
Josep Lluís Sert
Josep Lluís Sert i López was a Spanish Catalan architect and city planner.- Biography :Born in Barcelona, he showed keen interest in the works of his painter uncle Josep Maria Sert and of Gaudí. He studied architecture at the Escola Superior d'Arquitectura in Barcelona and set up his own studio...
and Sigfried Giedion
Sigfried Giedion
Sigfried Giedion was a Bohemia-born Swiss historian and critic of architecture....
, while studying with classmates Fumihiko Maki
Fumihiko Maki
is a Japanese architect and currently teaching at Keio University SFC.- Biography :After studying at the University of Tokyo he moved to the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and then to Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 1956, he took a post as assistant professor of...
and Ben Weese.
Accomplishments
- 1957: Began position as professor of architecture at Washington University in St. LouisWashington University in St. LouisWashington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
. Also named founding Director (1957–1963) of the Landmarks Association of St. Louis, one of the nation's first building and neighborhood preservation groups. - 1960: Started the architectural practice of Schnebli, Anselevicius, and Montgomery (SAM) that designed the Washington UniversityWashington University in St. LouisWashington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
Law School Building in 1972. Founded the Urban Design Program at Washington University with Fumihiko Maki - 1961: Worked for the Kennedy Administration as the first Urban Design Officer in the Federal Housing and Home Finance Agency (later HUDUnited States Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentThe United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...
). - 1964: Named founding Director of Washington University'sWashington University in St. LouisWashington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
Urban Renewal Design Center and planned and designed ‘Towne South’, a community outside of St. LouisSt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St... - 1965: Named founding Director of the Urban Housing Foundation, Inc. (1965–1967).
- 1967: Hired as professor with joint appointment in both the departments of City & Regional Planning, and of Architecture, at the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. - 1968: Named a juror from the Progressive Architecture P/A Design Awards.
- 1967-72: Served as west coast editor for Architecture Forum magazine.
- 1973: Published Housing in America (co-authored with Daniel Mandelker), a survey of housing economics, race, and land use issues. Also published A Guide to Architecture in San Francisco and Northern California (co-authored with David GebhardDavid GebhardDavid S. Gebhard was a leading architectural historian, particularly known for his books on the architecture and architects of California. He was a long-time faculty member at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and was dedicated to the preservation of Santa Barbara architecture.Gebhard...
and Sally Woodbridge). - 1977: Published a guide to the architecture and vernacular buildings of Washington State, titled A guide to architecture in Washington State: an environmental perspective.
- 1980s: During this period Montgomery served as President of the California Council of Architectural Education, and the National Board of Architects, Designers and Planners for Social Responsibility. Additionally, he served on boards for a number of voluntary organizations related to the design professions including Planners for Equal Opportunity, Planners Network and Northern California Non-Profit Housing Coalition. In the Bay Area, Montgomery advised City and County boards in Berkeley, Alameda County, Santa Clara and San Francisco. Montgomery was also named Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and later Acting Dean.
- May 1, 1989: Named Dean of the College of Environmental DesignUC Berkeley College of Environmental DesignThe College of Environmental Design, also known as the or simply is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. The school is located in Wurster Hall on the southeast corner of the main UC Berkeley campus...
, University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, a position he holds until January 1996. During 1989, Montgomery was named to the Board of Trustees of the Berkeley Art Museum, a position he holds until 2002.
External links
- Roger Montgomery obituary in the San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
- Press Release from University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
- In Memorium from the University of CaliforniaUniversity of CaliforniaThe University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...