The Architectural League of New York » Mid-Century Masters

Natalie de Blois

Gregory Wessner — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:54:49 +0000

Natalie de Blois: Mid-Century Masters
Recorded: October 29, 1987

Click here to subscribe to League podcasts on iTunes.

Presented as part of Mid-Century Masters, a multi-part series of archival podcasts of presentations held at the Architectural League by leading figures in post-war modernism.

Architect Natalie de Blois joined Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (SOM) in 1944, less than ten years after the firm was founded. As the first woman at SOM to reach the level of senior designer, de Blois worked on some of the firm’s most significant projects, including Lever House, Pepsi Cola, the Union Carbide Building, and the Connecticut General Life Insurance Headquarters. Nathaniel Owings, one of the firm’s founders, wrote of her in his autobiography that “her mind and hands worked marvels in design–and only she and God would ever know just how many great solutions, with the imprimatur of one of the male heroes of SOM, owed much more to her than was attributed by either SOM or the client.” (Women in American Architecture, 1977) In this conversation with architect Françoise Bollack, recorded at the League in 1987 as part of a series called “Three Modern Architects,” de Blois discusses the full scope of her career.

Please note: The audio is difficult to understand at some points. We apologize for the inconvenience.

http://archleague.org/av_podcast/DAP_DeBlois.mp3

The League’s Digital Archive Project is made possible by contributions from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Max Abramovitz

Gregory Wessner — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:31:22 +0000

Max Abramovitz: Mid-Century Masters
Recorded: October 18, 1994

Click here to subscribe to League podcasts on iTunes.

Presented as part of Mid-Century Masters, a multi-part series of archival podcasts of lectures held at the Architectural League by leading figures in post-war modernism.

Max Abramovitz (1908-2004) was a partner, with Wallace Harrison, of Harrison and Abramovitz. Either as lead architects or as team members, Harrison and Abramovitz participated in some of the most significant commissions of the 20th century, including the United Nations and Lincoln Center. Abramovitz himself served as director of planning for the United Nations and was architect of Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. In this lecture from 1994, Abramovitz discusses the full scope of his career, beginning with the Trylon and Perisphere for the New York World’s Fair (1939) to his later work for U.S. Steel and Banque Rothschild.

Due to its length, this podcast is split into two parts. Click on the title to play the video.

Part 1 (58:28)
Part 2 (49:28)

Charles Eames

Gregory Wessner — Mon, 04 May 2009 20:37:17 +0000

Charles Eames: Mid-Century Masters
Recorded: March 31, 1976
Running time: 43:56

Presented as part of Mid-Century Masters, a multi-part series of archival podcasts of lectures held at the Architectural League by leading figures in post-war modernism.

In March 1976, the Architectural League, under then president Robert A.M. Stern, honored Ray and Charles Eames at a dinner at the National Arts Club in New York City. The dinner was held to celebrate the Eames’ design of the bicentennial exhibition, “The World of Franklin and Jefferson,” held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from March 5 to May 2, 1976. In this recording from that evening, short introductions and toasts by Stern, Robert Blaich of Herman Miller (the sponsor of the dinner), and architect Peter Blake are followed by a presentation by Charles Eames of the the firm’s projects, including the Eames House and their work for the Metropolitan Museum. The presentation ended with the screening of a film by the Eameses, the audio of which was recorded and available here.

http://archleague.org/av_podcast/DAP_Eames.mp3

Craig Ellwood

admin — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:03:59 +0000

Mid-Century Masters
Recorded: October 22, 1987
Running time: 1:00:21

Presented as part of Mid-Century Masters, a multi-part series of archival podcasts of presentations held at the Architectural League by leading figures in post-war modernism.

California architect Craig Ellwood (1922-1992) lectured at the Architectural League in 1987 as part of a three-part series called “Three Modern Architects.” Known as much for his exuberant lifestyle as for his work–which included three Case Study Houses (No. 1953, 17, 18)–Ellwood was one of the most visible faces of California modernism. At the time of this lecture, which he claimed was his first in ten years, Ellwood was living in Italy and working as a painter and sculptor, although the lecture announcement indicated that he had “recently begun to practice architecture again,” more than a decade after having closed his firm.

http://archleague.org/av_podcast/DAP_Ellwood.mp3