On the evening of May 16, 1958, architecture alumni of the
University of Washington converged on Seattle from all over the
country. The event was a banquet to celebrate the founding of their
alma mater's new College of Architecture and Urban Planning. One by
one, the dean introduced the college's faculty members. At the name
of Lionel “Spike” Pries, one alumnus recalled, “there was a
special charge in the air. . . . Everyone rose and cheered and
clapped; it appeared to go on forever.” But within six months,
Lionel Pries was abruptly and mysteriously gone from the
university. After thirty years of service, he lost his job, his
major source of income, and, just four years short of retirement,
his pension. The official explanation was illness; friends
“sensed a large injustice,” in what they believed was a
dismissal based on Pries's sexual orientation. With Lionel H.
Pries, Architect, Artist, Educator: From Arts and Crafts to Modern
Architecture, Jeffrey Karl Ochsner redresses that injustice. Pries
(1897-1968) was one of the most influential teachers of
architecture and design at the University of Washington. Minoru
Yamasaki, A. Q. Jones, Fred Bassetti, Wendell Lovett, Victor
Steinbrueck, and many other prominent twentieth-century architects
were trained by Pries, whose highly artistic style of design helped
shape the development of American Modernism in architecture.
Ochsner offers an erudite celebration of Pries's professional
legacy, tracing his evolution as a designer, architect, teacher,
and artist. He shows how Pries absorbed and synthesized disparate
influences and movements in design--the California Arts and Crafts
and Mission Revival movements, the Ecole des Beaux-Arts tradition,
Art Nouveau and Art Deco, Mexican and Japanese motifs, and the
International Style and other permutations of the Modern movement.
Ochsner paints a vivid portrait of Pries as a teacher and mentor:
an unapologetic elitist, one who challenged weak students by openly
fostering stronger ones; a classroom autocrat who would fling one
student's radio out a second-story window but offer rent-free
lodging to another in need. This is a nuanced character study that
offers a clear but sympathetic view of a major talent who sometimes
clashed with his colleagues and was often in conflict with himself.
For some readers, it will be an introduction to Lionel Pries. For
others, it will be an occasion to remember him with warmth and
gratitude. This comprehensive, lavishly illustrated work will
appeal not only to architects and architectural historians, but
also to those interested in American studies, the decorative arts,
and Northwest history and culture. Its depth of research broadens
our understanding of twentieth-century Modernism and of the history
of architectural education.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
