Wallace Kirkman Harrison (September 28, 1895 – December 2, 1981) was an American architect. Harrison started his professional career with the firm of Corbett, Harrison & MacMurray, participating in the construction of Rockefeller Center. He is best known for executing large public projects in New York City and upstate, many of them a result of his long and fruitful personal relationship with Nelson Rockefeller, for whom he served as an adviser.[1]
Harrison's work in the mid-twentieth century comprised large, modernist public projects and office buildings. As a young man, Harrison took classes in engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and in architecture at the Boston Architectural Club; he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in the early 1920s and won the Rotch Taveling Scholarship in 1922. He worked for McKim, Mead & White and Bertram Grovesnor Goodhue from 1916 to 1923, and later formed a series of architectural partnerships. Harrison participated with the architectural teams involved in the construction of Rockefeller Center in New York City, completed in 1939. His brother-in-law was married to John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s daughter, Abigail[2] and Harrison serve as a designer and architectural adviser for Nelson Rockefeller, notably in the years when Rockefeller was governor of New York.
In 1941 Harrison joined with Max Abramowitz to form the firm of Harrison & Abramowitz. In partnership with Abramovitz, Harrison designed scores of university and corporate buildings, including the Time & Life (1959) and Socony-Mobil (1956), both designated New York City landmarks.[3]
Among Harrison's most noted projects are the Metropolitan Opera House at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Empire State Plaza in Albany; he also served as Director of Planning on the United Nations complex, which was built on slaughter-house property contributed by the Rockefeller family (the Rockefellers owned the Tudor City Apartments across First Avenue). Harrision also developed the design for the Pershing Memorial in Washington, D.C. (today referred to as Pershing Park, and home to the National World War I Memorial.[4] In addition to his architectural work, Harrison served as master planner and supervising architect for a number of important Long Island-based projects, including the World's Fairs of 1939 and 1964 in Flushing, Queens, and LaGuardia and Idlewild (now John F. Kennedy) airports.[3]
Harrison's major projects are marked by straightforward planning and sensible functionalism, although his residential side-projects show more experimental flair. In 1931, Harrison established an 11-acre (4.5 ha) summer retreat in West Hills, New York, which was a very early example and workshop for the International Style in the United States, and a social and intellectual center of architecture, art, and politics. The home includes a 32-foot (9.8 m) circular living room that is rumored to have been the prototype for the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center. Two other circular rooms complete the center of Harrison's design. Frequent visitors and guests included Nelson Rockefeller, Robert Moses, Marc Chagall, Le Corbusier, Alexander Calder and Fernand Léger. Harrison's expansive country property also exhibited his relationships with contemporary architects. For example, shortly after purchasing the property in 1931, Harrison and his wife bought the Aluminaire House, an iconic, compact, ready-to-assemble steel-and-aluminum structure designed by Swiss architect Albert Frey and then editor of Architectural Record, A. Lawrence Kocher.[5]
Harrison collected works by Calder and Léger and commissioned new ones for buildings that he designed, including his Long Island country house in West Hills, New York; a pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair; parts of Rockefeller Center; and the United Nations headquarters.[6] Léger waited out part of World War II by painting a mural at the bottom of Harrison's swimming pool. Léger also created a large mural for the home's circular living room and sculpted an abstract form to serve as a skylight. Calder's first show is said to have taken place at the home.[citation needed] In 1965, Harrison was appointed to a commission to choose modern art works for the Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Art Collection in Albany, NY.[7]
Between 1941 and 1943, Harrison designed and built the Clinton Hill Coops, a 12-building coop complex split between two "campuses" along Clinton Ave. in Brooklyn, New York, to house the Brooklyn Navy Yards workers.[8]
^Caroline Rob Zaleski, Long Island Modernism (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2012): Pg. 27
^Icons of American Architecture: From the Alamo to the World Trade Center By Donald Langmead
^ abCaroline Rob Zaleski, Long Island Modernism (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2012): Pg. 26
^Thomas E. Luebke, ed., Civic Art: A Centennial History of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, 2013): Appendix B, p. 545.
^Caroline Rob Zaleski, Long Island Modernism (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2012): Pg. 29
^Eve M. Kahn (May 8, 2014), A Glimpse of Léger, a Good Look at Lalique June 1, 2016, at the Wayback MachineNew York Times.
^The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Art Collection and Plaza Memorials. Rizzoli International Publications. May 3, 2002. p. 11. ISBN0847824551.
^"Article in "Architectuul"". from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
^"Wallace K. Harrison architectural drawings and papers, 1913–1986 bulk 1930–1980". from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
^Luebke, Civic Art; Richard Guy Wilson, The AIA Gold Medal (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984).
^Goldberger, Paul. "Wallace Harrison Dead at 86; Rockefeller Center Architect 2017-03-24 at the Wayback Machine" The New York Times, December 3, 1981. Article retrieved May 27, 2014.
^Dunlap, David W. (November 25, 2011). "La Guardia Loses Swiss Cheese Ice Cream Cone, and Some History". New York Times. from the original on November 29, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
Further readingedit
Newhouse, Victoria. Wallace K. Harrison, Architect. New York: Rizzoli, 1989.
Reich, Cary. The Life of Nelson A. Rockefeller: Worlds to Conquer 1908–1958. New York: Doubleday, 1996.
Sudjic, Deyan. The Edifice Complex: How the Rich and Powerful—and Their Architects—Shape the World. New York: Penguin, 2005.
Wallace K. Harrison architectural drawings and papers, 1913–1986 (bulk 1930–1980)Held by the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University
April 05, 2024
wallace, harrison, wallace, kirkman, harrison, september, 1895, december, 1981, american, architect, harrison, started, professional, career, with, firm, corbett, harrison, macmurray, participating, construction, rockefeller, center, best, known, executing, la. Wallace Kirkman Harrison September 28 1895 December 2 1981 was an American architect Harrison started his professional career with the firm of Corbett Harrison amp MacMurray participating in the construction of Rockefeller Center He is best known for executing large public projects in New York City and upstate many of them a result of his long and fruitful personal relationship with Nelson Rockefeller for whom he served as an adviser 1 Wallace HarrisonBornWallace Kirkman HarrisonSeptember 28 1895Worcester Massachusetts U S DiedDecember 2 1981 1981 12 02 aged 86 New York City U S Alma materEcole des Beaux ArtsOccupationArchitectAwardsAIA Gold Medal 1967 PracticeHarrison amp AbramowitzBuildingsUnited Nations headquarters Exxon BuildingProjectsRockefeller Center Lincoln Center for the Performing ArtsDesignTrylon and Perisphere The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts seen from Lincoln Center PlazaContents 1 Career 2 Personal life 3 Major projects 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksCareer editHarrison s work in the mid twentieth century comprised large modernist public projects and office buildings As a young man Harrison took classes in engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and in architecture at the Boston Architectural Club he studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in the early 1920s and won the Rotch Taveling Scholarship in 1922 He worked for McKim Mead amp White and Bertram Grovesnor Goodhue from 1916 to 1923 and later formed a series of architectural partnerships Harrison participated with the architectural teams involved in the construction of Rockefeller Center in New York City completed in 1939 His brother in law was married to John D Rockefeller Jr s daughter Abigail 2 and Harrison serve as a designer and architectural adviser for Nelson Rockefeller notably in the years when Rockefeller was governor of New York In 1941 Harrison joined with Max Abramowitz to form the firm of Harrison amp Abramowitz In partnership with Abramovitz Harrison designed scores of university and corporate buildings including the Time amp Life 1959 and Socony Mobil 1956 both designated New York City landmarks 3 Among Harrison s most noted projects are the Metropolitan Opera House at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Empire State Plaza in Albany he also served as Director of Planning on the United Nations complex which was built on slaughter house property contributed by the Rockefeller family the Rockefellers owned the Tudor City Apartments across First Avenue Harrision also developed the design for the Pershing Memorial in Washington D C today referred to as Pershing Park and home to the National World War I Memorial 4 In addition to his architectural work Harrison served as master planner and supervising architect for a number of important Long Island based projects including the World s Fairs of 1939 and 1964 in Flushing Queens and LaGuardia and Idlewild now John F Kennedy airports 3 Harrison s major projects are marked by straightforward planning and sensible functionalism although his residential side projects show more experimental flair In 1931 Harrison established an 11 acre 4 5 ha summer retreat in West Hills New York which was a very early example and workshop for the International Style in the United States and a social and intellectual center of architecture art and politics The home includes a 32 foot 9 8 m circular living room that is rumored to have been the prototype for the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center Two other circular rooms complete the center of Harrison s design Frequent visitors and guests included Nelson Rockefeller Robert Moses Marc Chagall Le Corbusier Alexander Calder and Fernand Leger Harrison s expansive country property also exhibited his relationships with contemporary architects For example shortly after purchasing the property in 1931 Harrison and his wife bought the Aluminaire House an iconic compact ready to assemble steel and aluminum structure designed by Swiss architect Albert Frey and then editor of Architectural Record A Lawrence Kocher 5 Harrison collected works by Calder and Leger and commissioned new ones for buildings that he designed including his Long Island country house in West Hills New York a pavilion at the 1939 New York World s Fair parts of Rockefeller Center and the United Nations headquarters 6 Leger waited out part of World War II by painting a mural at the bottom of Harrison s swimming pool Leger also created a large mural for the home s circular living room and sculpted an abstract form to serve as a skylight Calder s first show is said to have taken place at the home citation needed In 1965 Harrison was appointed to a commission to choose modern art works for the Governor Nelson A Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Art Collection in Albany NY 7 Between 1941 and 1943 Harrison designed and built the Clinton Hill Coops a 12 building coop complex split between two campuses along Clinton Ave in Brooklyn New York to house the Brooklyn Navy Yards workers 8 Harrison s architectural drawings and archives are held by the Drawings and Archives Department of Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University 9 Harrison was a member of the U S Commission of Fine Arts from 1955 to 1959 In 1967 Harrison received the AIA Gold Medal 10 In 1938 he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member and became a full Academician in 1948 Personal life editHarrison married Ellen Hunt Milton 1903 1995 in 1926 They had a daughter Sarah and lived in Manhattan and Seal Harbor Maine 11 Major projects edit nbsp Headquarters of the United Nations in New York CityFor work from 1941 through 1976 see Harrison amp Abramovitz Rockefeller Center part of the Associated Architects 1931 1971 The Rockefeller Apartments with J Andre Fouilhoux commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller facing the Museum of Modern Art Sculpture Garden 1936 Trylon and Perisphere for the 1939 New York World s Fair 10 Rockefeller Plaza formerly the Eastern Airlines Building part of Rockefeller Center 1939 The Clinton Hill Co ops Brooklyn New York 1941 43 The Corning Museum of Glass Corning New York 1951 Sophronia Brooks Hall Auditorium Oberlin Ohio 1953 The First Presbyterian Church The Fish Church Stamford Connecticut 1958 1271 Avenue of the Americas formerly the Time Life Building at Rockefeller Center New York City 1959 The Nelson A Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Albany New York his last major project 1959 1976 nbsp Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College Hopkins Center for the Arts Dartmouth College whose details foreshadow the Metropolitan Opera House 1962 Lead architect for the headquarters of the United Nations coordinating the work of an international cadre of designers including Sven Markelius Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer 1952 Erieview Tower Cleveland Ohio 1963 The New York Hall of Science at the 1964 New York World s Fair New York City 1964 Air traffic control tower LaGuardia Airport 1964 demolished 2011 12 Hilles Library Harvard University 1965 Metropolitan Opera House and the master plan for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts coordinating the work of Pietro Belluschi Gordon Bunshaft Philip Johnson and Eero Saarinen 1961 1966 The Opera House opened in 1966 Master plan for Battery Park City New York City 1966 1221 Avenue of the Americas formerly the McGraw Hill Building at Rockefeller Center 1969 1251 Avenue of the Americas formerly the Exxon Building at Rockefeller Center 1971 The National City Tower Louisville Kentucky 1972 Jasna Polana Mansion Princeton New Jersey about 1975See also edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wallace Harrison Nelson Rockefeller Rockefeller Center Lincoln CenterReferences edit Caroline Rob Zaleski Long Island Modernism New York W W Norton amp Company Inc 2012 Pg 27 Icons of American Architecture From the Alamo to the World Trade Center By Donald Langmead a b Caroline Rob Zaleski Long Island Modernism New York W W Norton amp Company Inc 2012 Pg 26 Thomas E Luebke ed Civic Art A Centennial History of the U S Commission of Fine Arts Washington D C U S Commission of Fine Arts 2013 Appendix B p 545 Caroline Rob Zaleski Long Island Modernism New York W W Norton amp Company Inc 2012 Pg 29 Eve M Kahn May 8 2014 A Glimpse of Leger a Good Look at Lalique Archived June 1 2016 at the Wayback Machine New York Times The Governor Nelson A Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Art Collection and Plaza Memorials Rizzoli International Publications May 3 2002 p 11 ISBN 0847824551 Article in Architectuul Archived from the original on October 13 2017 Retrieved October 12 2017 Wallace K Harrison architectural drawings and papers 1913 1986 bulk 1930 1980 Archived from the original on October 29 2014 Retrieved October 29 2014 Luebke Civic Art Richard Guy Wilson The AIA Gold Medal New York McGraw Hill 1984 Goldberger Paul Wallace Harrison Dead at 86 Rockefeller Center Architect Archived 2017 03 24 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times December 3 1981 Article retrieved May 27 2014 Dunlap David W November 25 2011 La Guardia Loses Swiss Cheese Ice Cream Cone and Some History New York Times Archived from the original on November 29 2011 Retrieved November 26 2011 Further reading editNewhouse Victoria Wallace K Harrison Architect New York Rizzoli 1989 Reich Cary The Life of Nelson A Rockefeller Worlds to Conquer 1908 1958 New York Doubleday 1996 Sudjic Deyan The Edifice Complex How the Rich and Powerful and Their Architects Shape the World New York Penguin 2005 Okrent Daniel Great Fortune The Epic of Rockefeller Center Viking Penguin 2003 External links editWallace K Harrison architectural drawings and papers 1913 1986 bulk 1930 1980 Held by the Department of Drawings amp Archives Avery Architectural amp Fine Arts Library Columbia University Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wallace Harrison amp oldid 1195736797, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
