Helmut Jahn

Helmut Jahn (January 4, 1940 – May 8, 2021) was a German and American architect, known for projects such as the Sony Center on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Germany; the Messeturm in Frankfurt, Germany; the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago; One Liberty Place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Suvarnabhumi Airport, in Bangkok, Thailand, among others.

His recent projects included 50 West Street, a residential tower in New York City in 2016; and the ThyssenKrupp Test Tower in Rottweil, Germany, in 2017. He was also behind 1000M in Chicago which began construction in 2019.

Life and career

An illuminated, suspended, oval roof covers the 102 m span of the central Forum of the Sony Center, Berlin.

Jahn was born January 4, 1940, in Zirndorf, near Nuremberg, Germany.<ref name="NYTObit">Template:Cite web</ref> His father, Wilhelm Anton Jahn, was a schoolteacher in special education. His mother, Karolina Wirth, was a housewife.<ref name="chicago tribune85"/><ref name=munzinger>Template:Cite web</ref> Jahn grew up watching the reconstruction of the city, which had been largely destroyed by Allied bombing campaigns.<ref>Neumann, Dietrich. "Helmut Jahn." In Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present, vol. 5, edited by R. Daniel Wadhwani. German Historical Institute. Last modified February 9, 2016.</ref>

He studied architecture at the Technical University of Munich from 1960 to 1965,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and worked with Template:Ill for a year after graduation.<ref name="NYTObit" /> In 1966, he went to Chicago to further study architecture under Myron Goldsmith and Fazlur Khan at the Illinois Institute of Technology on a Rotary Scholarship, earning a Master's degree in 1967.<ref name=munzinger />

Murphy/Jahn

Jahn joined Charles Francis Murphy's architecture firm, C. F. Murphy Associates, in 1967 and was appointed Executive Vice President and Director of Planning and Design of the firm in 1973.Template:Citation needed He took sole control in 1981, renaming the firm Murphy/Jahn (even though Murphy had retired).Template:Citation needed Murphy died in 1985.

Death

Jahn was killed after being hit by two cars on May 8, 2021, while riding his bicycle in Campton Hills, a suburb of Chicago.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The collision happened near his home and horse farm in St. Charles, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Architectural style and influences

Generally inspired by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, yet opposed to the doctrinal application of modernism by his followers, in 1978, Jahn became the eighth member of the Chicago Seven. His architectural style shifted from the modernism of the Miesian tradition to a postmodernist one with high-tech stylizations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Jahn established his reputation in 1985 with the State of Illinois Center in Chicago which prompted him to be dubbed "Flash Gordon".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition to the main seat in Chicago, the company has offices in Berlin and Shanghai.

On October 26, 2012, Helmut Jahn renamed Murphy/Jahn to simply JAHN.Template:Citation needed

Completed projects

Auraria Library

James R. Thompson Center

O'Hare International Airport, Chicago – interior view of the connecting tunnel between Concourses B & C of Terminal 1, with Michael Hayden's neon installation Sky's the Limit (1987).

Bank of America Tower (1990)

One America Plaza

1999 K Street, NW in Washington, D.C.

Facade of Neues Kranzler Eck, Berlin

Following is a partial list of completed projects:

• 1974 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri<ref name="GB Kemper">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Encyc Sennett">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="NYTObit" />
• 1976 Kansas City Convention Center, also known as H. Roe Bartle Exhibition Hall, Kansas City, Missouri<ref name="Miller">Miller, Nory. Helmut Jahn. New York: NY Rizzoli International Publications Inc. 1986. Print</ref>
• 1976 Auraria Learning Resources Center, Auraria Higher Education Center, Denver, Colorado<ref name="UofC Auraria">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1976 John Marshall Courts Building, Richmond, Virginia<ref name="Miller"/>
• 1977 Michigan City Public Library, Michigan City, Indiana<ref name="NWIT Ross">Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1977 Saint Mary's College Athletic Facility, Notre Dame, Indiana<ref name="AIA Angela">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Sullivan Athletic">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1978 W.W. Grainger Headquarters, Skokie, Illinois<ref name="Miller"/>
• 1978 Rust-Oleum Corporation International Headquarters, Vernon Hills, Illinois<ref name="Miller"/>
• 1978 La Lumiere Gymnasium, La Porte, Indiana<ref name="Miller"/>
• 1979 Imperial Bank Tower Costa Mesa, California<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1980 Horizon Bank (515 Franklin Street Bank) Michigan City, IndianaTemplate:Citation needed
• 1980 Xerox Centre, (55 West Monroe St) Chicago, IL<ref name="Miller"/><ref name="Encyc Sennett"/>
• 1981 United States Post Office, Oak Brook, Illinois<ref name="Miller"/>
• 1981 De La Garza Career Center, East Chicago, Indiana<ref name="Miller"/>
• 1981 Commonwealth Edison Company District Headquarters, Bolingbrook, Illinois<ref name="Miller"/>
• 1982 Argonne Program Support Facility, Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois<ref name="Miller"/>
• 1982 Eagle River Vacation House (The Jahn House), Eagle River, Wisconsin<ref name="Miller"/>
• 1982 Area 2 Police Headquarters, Chicago<ref name="Miller"/>
• 1982 Chicago Board of Trade Addition, Chicago <ref name="Miller"/>
• 1982 One South Wacker, Chicago <ref name="Miller"/><ref name="Encyc Sennett"/>
• 1983 Agricultural Engineering Sciences Building Addition University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois<ref name="Miller"/>
• 1983 Learning Resources Center, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois<ref name="Miller"/>
• 1983 First Source Centre, South Bend, Indiana<ref name="Encyc Sennett"/><ref name="Sullivan First Source">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1984 11 Diagonal Street, Johannesburg, South Africa<ref name="Phorio Diagonal">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1984 Plaza East Office Towers, Milwaukee, WI<ref name="Miller"/>
• 1984 Shand Morahan Corporate Headquarters, Evanston, Illinois<ref name="Miller"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1984 701 Building (Craig-Hallom Building), Minneapolis, MN<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1984 O'Hare 'L' Station, O'Hare International Airport, Chicago<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1985 James R. Thompson Center, Chicago<ref name="ArchDaily Belogolovsky">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NYTObit" />
• 1985 362 West Street, Durban, South Africa<ref name="renaissance society">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1986 Parktown Stands 102, 103, 85, 879, Johannesburg, South Africa<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1986 MetroWest Office Building (2 Energy Center), Naperville, Illinois<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1986 Oakbrook Terrace Tower, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1987 Park Avenue Tower, New York, NY<ref name="renaissance society" />
• 1987 425 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY<ref name="guardian 2021">Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1987 United Airlines Terminal 1 at O'Hare International Airport, Chicago<ref name="Encyc Sennett"/>
• 1987 America Apartments – 300 East 85th Street, New York, NY<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1987 One Liberty Place, Philadelphia, PA<ref name="NYTObit" />
• 1987 Cityspire, New York, NY<ref name="Encyc Sennett"/><ref name="NYTObit" />
• 1987 Citigroup Center, Chicago<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1988 Wilshire-Midvale, Los Angeles, CA<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1989 Trade Hall 1 (Halle 1), Frankfurt, Germany<ref name="Encyc Sennett"/>
• 1989 Metropolitan Transportation Authority Headquarters, 130 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1990 Bank of America Tower, Jacksonville, Florida Template:Citation needed
• 1990 Two Liberty Place, PhiladelphiaTemplate:Citation needed
• 1991 One America Plaza, San Diego, CATemplate:Citation needed
• 1991 Messeturm, Frankfurt, Germany<ref name="Encyc Sennett"/>
• 1992 Hyatt Regency, Roissy, Paris, France<ref name="renaissance society" />
• 1992 120 North LaSalle, ChicagoTemplate:Citation needed
• 1993 Hitachi Tower, Singapore<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1993 Caltex House, Singapore<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1994 Hotel Kempinski, Munich, Germany<ref name="Encyc Sennett"/>
• 1994 Kurfürstendamm 70, Berlin, GermanyTemplate:Citation needed
• 1996 Fortis Bank Tower (Blaak 555), Rotterdam, Netherlands<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1996 Principal Financial Group Corporate Four Building, Des Moines, IowaTemplate:Citation needed
• 1997 RCID Administration Building, Buena Vista, FloridaTemplate:Citation needed
• 1998 Generale Bank Nederland, Rotterdam, NetherlandsTemplate:Citation needed
• 1999 European Union Charlemagne building, Brussels, BelgiumTemplate:Citation needed
• 1999 Munich Airport Center, GermanyTemplate:Citation needed
• 2000 Sony Center Berlin, Germany<ref name="Encyc Sennett"/><ref name="NYTObit" />
• 2000 Cologne Bonn Airport, Cologne, GermanyTemplate:Citation needed
• 2000 HA·LO Headquarters (presently the headquarters of Shure), Niles, IllinoisTemplate:Citation needed
• 2000 Imperial Bank Tower Renovation, Costa Mesa, California<ref name="Blaser">Blaser, Werner. Helmut Jahn Architecture Engineering. Basel, Berlin, Boston: Birkhauser Publishers for Architecture. 2002. Print</ref>
• 2001 Neues Kranzler Eck, Berlin, Germany<ref name="Blaser"/>
• 2002 Kaufhof Galeria, Chemnitz, GermanyTemplate:Citation needed
• 2002 Shanghai International Expo Centre, Shanghai, ChinaTemplate:Citation needed
• 2002 Bayer AG Konzernzentrale<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2003 Deutsche Post Tower, Bonn, GermanyTemplate:Citation needed
• 2003 IIT Student Housing, ChicagoTemplate:Citation needed
• 2003 Highlight Munich Business Towers, Munich, GermanyTemplate:Citation needed
• 2004 Mannheimer Corporate Headquarters, Mannheim, Germany<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2004 Merck Serono Headquarters (Horizon Serono), Geneva, SwitzerlandTemplate:Citation needed
• 2005 Focus Media Center (Deutsche-Med-Platz), Rostock, Germany<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2006 Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2006 Seminaris Campus Hotel, Berlin, GermanyTemplate:Citation needed
• 2007 GranTokyo, Tokyo, Japan
• 2007 Margot and Harold Schiff Residences, ChicagoTemplate:Citation needed
• 2007 600 North Fairbanks, ChicagoTemplate:Citation needed
• 2008 Hegau Tower, Singen, Germany<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2009 South Campus Chiller Plant, University of Chicago Chicago<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2009 1999 K Street, Washington, D.C.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2010 Hafen Tower (Sign Tower), Speditionstrasse 1–3 Düsseldorf, Germany<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2010 Veer Towers, Paradise, Nevada USA<ref name="ArchDaily Veer">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2010 Weser Tower, Bremen, GermanyTemplate:Citation needed
• 2010 Bonn Airport Parking, Cologne, Germany Template:Citation needed
• 2011 Joe and Rika Mansueto Library, Chicago<ref name="NYTObit" />
• 2012 Leatop Plaza, Guangzhou, ChinaTemplate:Citation needed
• 2012 Skyline Tower, Munich, GermanyTemplate:Citation needed
• 2012 Japan Post, Tokyo, JapanTemplate:Citation needed
• 2013 Cosmopolitan Twarda 2/4, Warsaw, Poland<ref name="NYTObit" />
• 2014 Zunda Towers, Riga, Latvia<ref name="20thCA Riga">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2016 Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, QatarTemplate:Citation needed
• 2016 Shanghai Convention Center, Shanghai, China Template:Citation needed
• 2016 50 West Street, New York, NY<ref name="Curbed Rosenberg">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Yimby Bindelglass">Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2017 ThyssenKrupp Test Tower, Rottweil, Germany<ref name="ThyssenKrupp">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2017 1900 Reston Station, Reston, Virginia<ref name="Reston Emke">Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2024 1000M, Chicago, IL<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In his native town of Nuremberg, however, a project by Jahn was rejected by a citizens' referendum in 1996.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Select awards

• 1991 – "Ten Most Influential Living American Architects" from the American Institute of Architects.<ref name="Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat 2021">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1993 – "Outstanding Achievement/Architect Award" from the American Academy of Art, Chicago.<ref name="modern architecture 2019">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1994 – Officer's cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany<ref name="BauNetz.de 2000">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2002 – Institute Honour Award of the American Institute of Architects for the Sony Center.<ref name="modern architecture 2019" />
• 2005 – Murphy/Jahn, Inc. recipient of the AIA Architecture Firm Award.<ref name="modern architecture 2019" />
• 2005 – Pratt Institute Legends Award<ref name="Pratt Institute">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2012 – AIA Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award<ref name="American Institute of Architects">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2018 – ENR Safety Award of Merit: 1900 Metro Reston Plaza<ref name="ENR">Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Jahn was interested in yachting, and in the late 1990s owned at least three yachts named Flash Gordon (one of his nicknames).<ref name="Kamin-1998">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1995, Jahn's Flash Gordon 2 won the annual Chicago to Mackinac Race, the oldest freshwater yacht race in the world.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1998, Jahn invited his fellow Vietnam War veteran, George Henry, to race with him in the Waterbury Channel Open. In 1997, Flash Gordon 3 won the Admiral's Cup.<ref name="Kamin-1998"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was the Farr 40 design yacht called Flash Gordon 6 that he had the most success winning the 2012 Farr 40 World Championship<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and they captured three straight North American Championship between 2015 and 2017.<ref name="SW FG6">Template:Cite news</ref>

He married Deborah Ann Lampe, an interior designer, in December 1970. Their son Evan was born in 1978.<ref name="chicago tribune85">Template:Cite news</ref>

Images

• 
  Messeturm (Fair Tower), Frankfurt
• 
  The Post Tower (Postal Tower), Bonn
• 
  Exhibition "Process/Progress" Nuremberg, Germany 2012-2013

External links

• Official website
• Template:ArchINFORM
• Architect Helmut Jahn renames firm, promotes successor
• Highlight towers
• The New Modernism of Helmut Jahn Template:Webarchive