Pierre Koenig
Template:Short descriptionTemplate:For Template:Infobox architect
Pierre Francis Koenig (October 17, 1925 – April 4, 2004) was an American architect and a Professor of Architecture at the University of Southern California. He taught at the USC School of Architecture from 1964 until his death in 2004. He was the director of the undergraduate building science program from 1980 to 2004. He lectured widely at other universities, and received more than 20 awards for his work.<ref>USC University biography website Template:Webarchive.</ref> The architecture of Pierre Koenig was the subject of the book Pierre Koenig written by James Steele in 1998.<ref>Pierre Koenig, by James Steele, Phaidon Press, 1998.</ref> Also in 1998, Koenig was elevated to "Distinguished Professor" after 35 years on the USC faculty.<ref>Koenig: The Master Builder as Master Teacher.</ref> He received the USC Distinguished Alumni Award and the Gold Medal from the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects.<ref>USC News: Koenig received AIA Los Angeles Gold Medal.</ref>
Early life
The son of a salesman, Koenig was born in San Francisco. The family moved to Southern California in 1939.<ref name=nytimes>Pierre Koenig, Architect, 78, In Los Angeles New York Times, April 7, 2004.</ref> After returning from a four-year tour in the Army during World War II, he enrolled in architecture school. He received his Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) degree from USC in 1952.<ref name=nytimes />
Career
Koenig worked with Raphael Soriano and Edward H. Fickett among others, and began private practice in 1952.<ref>Pierre Koenig biography by the Los Angeles Conservancy.</ref> Koenig practiced mainly on the West Coast and was most notable for the design of the Case Study Houses No. 21 and 22 in 1960. Both 21 (the Bailey House) and 22 (the Stahl House) were constructed on dramatic, otherwise-unbuildable sites.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Particularly the Case Study House #22, photographed by Julius Shulman, is widely considered the iconic postwar L.A. home, with its sweeping city views and openness to the outdoors.<ref name=brown>Eryn Brown (August 4, 2005), A Modern dream come true Los Angeles Times.</ref>
At USC, Koenig led the undergraduate building science program and helped direct the Natural Forces Laboratory created by Ralph Lewis Knowles. The Building Science group at USC also included Knowles, Douglas E. Noble, Marc Schiler, Karen M. Kensek, Goetz Schierle, David Brindle, and Konrad Wachsmann.
Koenig died of leukemia in 2004 at 78.<ref name=brown /> He was survived by his wife, Gloria; sons, Randall and Jean Pierre; and two stepsons, Barry and Thomas Kaufman.<ref name=nytimes />
In 2007, Koenig's Case Study House #21 sold at auction for $3.1 million.<ref>Stacie Stukin (October 7, 2007), Safe Houses T: The New York Times Style Magazine.</ref> His personal residence in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles was built in 1985. After a restoration overseen by his stepsons, the steel and glass residence went up for sale in 2017 for $3.8 million.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
References
External links
- Pierre Koenig's website
- Koenig tribute page at Jet Set modern
- Koenig remembrance at ArchitectureWeek
- Finding aid for Pierre Koenig drawings and papers Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles. Accession No. 2006.M.30.
- The Squire House A unique example of Pierre Koenig’s early work in La Canada