Steven Izenour: Difference between revisions

Steven Izenour
Steven Izenour
Born	July 16, 1940; New Haven, CT
Died	August 21, 2001 (aged 61); Vermont
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania, Yale University
Occupation	Architect
Father	George Izenour
Practice	Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates
Buildings	George D. Widener Memorial Treehouse, Philadelphia Zoo, Houston Children's Museum, George Izenour House

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Steven Izenour (July 16, 1940 in New Haven – August 21, 2001 in Vermont) was an American architect, urbanist and theorist. He is best known as co-author, with Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, of Learning from Las Vegas, one of the most influential architectural theory books of the twentieth century. He was also a principal in the Philadelphia firm Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates.

He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, where his father George Izenour, a theatre stage and lighting designer, taught at Yale University and later had a consulting firm. His mother was Hildegard Hilt. In 1964, Izenour married Elisabeth Margit Gemmill.

Education and teaching

Izenour studied art history at Swarthmore College and architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, before earning a Master of Environmental Design in 1969 at Yale University. After completing his degree at Yale, he ran the "Learning from Las Vegas" design studio for a time for Bob Venturi. Next he worked in Charles Moore's architectural office in New Haven for a year or two.

In the late 1960s/early 1970s, he moved with his wife, Elisabeth Margit Gemmill, and their two children (Ann-Kristin and Tessa) back to Philadelphia. There he reunited with Bob Venturi, John Rauch, and Denise Scott-Brown. "He was a unique spirit from the get-go," Ms. Scott-Brown said. "The rebellious maverick side of our work appealed to him." She credits him with the nickname, "Big Tuna around the office."^[1]

In addition to teaching at Yale University, Izenour also taught at the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Learning from Las Vegas

While a grad student at Yale, Izenour assisted Robert Venturi as a TA in 1968 for a studio course and research project titled "Learning from Las Vegas, or Form Analysis as Design Research". They eventually wrote a book based on their findings from the research" Learning from Las Vegas, first published in 1972. It was published in a revised edition in 1977, titled Learning from Las Vegas. The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form.^[2]

As part of the research, Izenour had accompanied his senior tutor colleagues, Venturi and Scott Brown, to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1968, together with nine students of architecture and two planning and two graphics students, to study the urban form of the city. It was generally regarded at that time as a "non-city"; rather, as the outgrowth of "strip" development, along which were placed parking lots and separate frontages for gambling casinos, hotels, churches, and bars. Venturi, Scott Brown and Izenour had previously visited Las Vegas, and written a joint article, "A significance for A&P parking lots, or learning from Las Vegas" (1968).

The research group studied various aspects of the city, including its symbolism, the lighting, "pattern books", "styles" and "illusion/allusion". They concluded that, in a city like Las Vegas, symbolism carries greater importance than architectural form. They identified this distinction as what they called the difference between "ducks" and "decorated sheds." Most modernist architecture, the authors said, used expressive mass and volume to convey meaning, like the famous "Long Island Duckling" on Long Island, New York. But in a place like Las Vegas, the more common "decorated sheds" relied on imagery and signs to do much the same thing. Virtually all architecture prior to the Modern Movement used such decoration to convey meaning, often profound but sometimes perfunctory, such as the signage on medieval shop fronts. Only Modernist architecture eschewed such ornament, relying only on its corporeal or structural elements to convey meaning. As such, it became mute and often vacuous, especially when built for corporate or government clients.^[2]

Learning from Las Vegas caused a stir in the architectural world when published. Progressive critics took it as a bold indictment of Modernism; mainline practitioners found it blasphemous. A split among young American architects occurred during the 1970s, with Izenour, Venturi, Robert A.M. Stern, Charles Moore and Allan Greenberg defended the book as "The Greys," and modernists Richard Meier, Peter Eisenman, John Heyduk, and Michael Graves wrote against its premises as "The Whites." It became associated with post-modernism when magazines such as Progressive Architecture published articles citing its influence on the younger generation. When Tom Wolfe published his critical book, From Bauhaus to Our House, Venturi, Scott Brown and Izenour were among those architects the author praised for their stand against heroic Modernism.

White Towers

In 1979, continuing his studies into the relationship of architecture and pop culture, Izenour and fellow architect Paul Hirshorn published a monograph about the White Tower Hamburgers fast food chain. Their book contained selected photographs taken in a variety of styles—from the stark and deadpan to family album-like snapshots. In an affectionately written introductory essay, Hirshorn and Izenour described the identifiable and idiosyncratic commercial architectural style of the 1930s and 1940s, and documented the development of the White Tower's architecture and stylistic variations. They used interviews with former White Tower employees, including Charles Johnson, White Tower's architect for over forty years, to set their analysis of the buildings within a broader context of corporate culture, mass marketing, and the rise of franchising in the twentieth century.^[3]

Learning from the Wildwoods

Similar to the Las Vegas studies, in the 1990s Izenour started university courses for the study and preservation of 1950s Doo Wop architecture in Wildwood, New Jersey, a Shore community. In association with the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and Kent State University, he came up with the Wildwoods Redevelopment Plan.^[4] It established a foundation to revitalize the beach resort.^[5]

References

^ Steven Izenour, 61, Architect of American Pop, Dies New York Times. August 8, 2001.
^ ^a ^b Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, Steven Izenour, Learning from Las Vegas, MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 1972, revised 1977. ISBN 0-262-72006-X
^ Paul Hirshorn and Steven Izenour, White Towers, MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 1979, revised 2007. ISBN 9780262083683
^ Steven Izenour, Learning from the Wildwoods...
^ Melissa Milgrom, "Learning from Steve Izenour", The Metropolis Observed, Metropolis Magazine, January 2002 Archived 2014-05-18 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Inc. firm web site

[1] Steven Izenour, 61, Architect of American Pop, Dies New York Times. August 8, 2001.

[Robert_Venturi_1972-2] Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, Steven Izenour, Learning from Las Vegas, MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 1972, revised 1977. ISBN 0-262-72006-X

[3] Paul Hirshorn and Steven Izenour, White Towers, MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 1979, revised 2007. ISBN 9780262083683

[4] Steven Izenour, Learning from the Wildwoods...

[5] Melissa Milgrom, "Learning from Steve Izenour", The Metropolis Observed, Metropolis Magazine, January 2002 Archived 2014-05-18 at the Wayback Machine

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|American architect}}
 {{Infobox architect
 |name                 = Steven Izenour
-|image                =
+|image                =Image_of_Steven_Izenour.jpg
 |image_size           =
 |caption              =
@@ Line 7: / Line 9: @@
 |birth_date           = July 16, 1940
 |birth_place          = New Haven, CT
-|death_date           = August 21, 2001
+| death_date          = {{Death date and age|mf=yes|2001|8|21|1940|7|16}}
 |death_place          = Vermont
 |alma_mater           = University of Pennsylvania, Yale University
@@ Line 15: / Line 17: @@
 |significant_design   =
 |awards               =
+|father               = [[George Izenour]]
 }}
-'''Steven Izenour''' (1940 in [[New Haven]] – August 21, 2001 in [[Vermont]]) was an American [[architect]], urbanist and theorist. He is best known as co-author, with [[Robert Venturi]] and  [[Denise Scott Brown]] of ''Learning from Las Vegas'', one of the most influential [[architectural theory]] books of the twentieth century. He was also principal in the [[Philadelphia]] firm Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut. His father was theatre stage and lighting designer [[George Izenour]]. He was married, in 1964, to Elisabeth Margit Gemmill.
+'''Steven Izenour''' (July 16, 1940 in [[New Haven]] – August 21, 2001 in [[Vermont]]) was an American [[architect]], urbanist and theorist. He is best known as co-author, with [[Robert Venturi]] and  [[Denise Scott Brown]], of ''[[Learning from Las Vegas]]'', one of the most influential [[architectural theory]] books of the twentieth century. He was also a principal in the [[Philadelphia]] firm [[Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates]].
+He was born in [[New Haven, Connecticut]], where his father [[George Izenour]], a theatre stage and lighting designer, taught at [[Yale University]] and later had a consulting firm. His mother was Hildegard Hilt. In 1964, Izenour married Elisabeth Margit Gemmill.
 ==Education and teaching==
-Izenour studied art history at [[Swarthmore College]] and architecture at the [[University of Pennsylvania]], before going on to earn a Master of [[Environmental Design]] at [[Yale University]] in 1969. After completing his degree at Yale, and running the "Learning from Las Vegas" design studio for Bob Venturi, he found employment in Charles Moore's office in New Haven for a year or two...  At some point in the late 1960s/early 1970s, he (and his wife, Elisabeth Margit Gemmill, and their two children, Ann-Kristin Izenour and Tessa) migrated back to Philadelphia so he could reunite with Bob Venturi (and Rauch).
+Izenour studied art history at [[Swarthmore College]] and architecture at the [[University of Pennsylvania]], before earning a Master of [[Environmental Design]] in 1969 at [[Yale University]]. After completing his degree at Yale, he ran the "Learning from Las Vegas" design studio for a time for Bob Venturi. Next he worked in [[Charles Moore (architect)|Charles Moore]]'s architectural office in New Haven for a year or two.
+In the late 1960s/early 1970s, he moved with his wife, Elisabeth Margit Gemmill, and their two children (Ann-Kristin and Tessa) back to Philadelphia. There he reunited with Bob Venturi, John Rauch, and [[Denise Scott-Brown]]. "He was a unique spirit from the get-go," Ms. Scott-Brown said. "The rebellious maverick side of our work appealed to him." She credits him with the nickname, "Big Tuna around the office."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/26/nyregion/steven-izenour-61-architect-of-american-pop.html Steven Izenour, 61, Architect of American Pop, Dies] New York Times. August 8, 2001.</ref>
-While still a grad student at Yale he was the TA who assisted Robert Venturi in 1968 for a studio course and research project titled "Learning from Las Vegas, or Form Analysis as Design Research". The findings from the research eventually became the book "Learning from Las Vegas" first published in 1972 and republished in a revised edition in 1977 titled ''Learning from Las Vegas. The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form''.<ref name="Robert Venturi 1972">Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, Steven Izenour, ''Learning from Las Vegas'', MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 1972, revised 1977. ISBN 0-262-72006-X</ref> As well as teaching at Yale University, Izenour also taught at the [[University of Pennsylvania]] and [[Drexel University]].
+In addition to teaching at Yale University, Izenour also taught at the [[University of Pennsylvania]] and [[Drexel University]] in Philadelphia.
 ==Learning from Las Vegas==
+While a grad student at Yale, Izenour assisted Robert Venturi as a TA in 1968 for a studio course and research project titled "Learning from Las Vegas, or Form Analysis as Design Research". They eventually wrote a book based on their findings from the research" ''Learning from Las Vegas'', first published in 1972. It was published in a revised edition in 1977, titled ''Learning from Las Vegas. The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form''.<ref name="Robert Venturi 1972">Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, Steven Izenour, ''Learning from Las Vegas'', MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 1972, revised 1977. {{ISBN|0-262-72006-X}}</ref>
-Izenour accompanied his senior tutor colleagues, Venturi and Scott Brown, to Las Vegas in 1968 together with nine students of architecture and two planning and two graphics students to study the urban form of the city that was regarded as a "non-city", the outgrowth of a "strip", along which were placed parking lots and singular frontages for gambling casinos, hotels, churches and bars. Venturi, Scott Brown and Izenour had already previously visited Las Vegas - which had led to the joint article "A significance for A&P parking lots, or learning from Las Vegas" (1968). The research group studied various aspects of the city, including its symbolism, the lighting, "pattern books", "styles" and "illusion/allusion". Their conclusion was that in a city like Las Vegas image has far greater importance than architectural form. The difference was said to be epitomised in the difference between architecture as either a "decorated shed" or "duck". The greatest part of modernist architecture attempted to be a "duck" in being expressive, especially in terms of volume; but the "decorated shed" held no such illusions and relied on imagery and signs. Virtually all architecture prior to the Modern Movement used such decoration to convey meaning, often profound but sometimes simply perfunctory, such as the signage on medieval shop fronts. Only Modernist architecture eschewed such ornament, relying only on its corporeal or structural elements to convey meaning. As such, it became mute and often vacuous, especially when built for corporate or government clients.<ref name="Robert Venturi 1972"/>
+As part of the research, Izenour had accompanied his senior tutor colleagues, Venturi and Scott Brown, to [[Las Vegas, Nevada]] in 1968, together with nine students of architecture and two planning and two graphics students, to study the urban form of the city. It was generally regarded at that time as a "non-city"; rather, as the outgrowth of "strip" development, along which were placed parking lots and separate frontages for gambling casinos, hotels, churches, and bars. Venturi, Scott Brown and Izenour had previously visited Las Vegas, and written a joint article, "A significance for A&P parking lots, or learning from Las Vegas" (1968).
+The research group studied various aspects of the city, including its symbolism, the lighting, "pattern books", "styles" and "illusion/allusion". They concluded that, in a city like Las Vegas, symbolism carries greater importance than architectural form. They identified this distinction as what they called the difference between "ducks" and "decorated sheds." Most modernist architecture, the authors said, used expressive mass and volume to convey meaning, like the famous "Long Island Duckling" on Long Island, New York. But in a place like Las Vegas, the more common "decorated sheds" relied on imagery and signs to do much the same thing. Virtually all architecture prior to the Modern Movement used such decoration to convey meaning, often profound but sometimes perfunctory, such as the signage on medieval shop fronts. Only Modernist architecture eschewed such ornament, relying only on its corporeal or structural elements to convey meaning. As such, it became mute and often vacuous, especially when built for corporate or government clients.<ref name="Robert Venturi 1972"/>
-''Learning from Las Vegas'' caused a stir in the architectural world upon its publication, as it was hailed by progressive critics for its bold indictment of Modernism, and by the status quo as blasphemous. A split among young American architects occurred during the 1970s, with Izenour, Venturi, Robert A.M. Stern, Charles Moore and Allan Greenberg defending the book as "The Greys," and Richard Meier, Peter Eisenman, John Heyduk, and Michael Graves writing against its premises as "The Whites." It became associated with [[post-modernism]] when magazines such as Progressive Architecture published articles citing its influence on the younger generation. When Tom Wolfe wrote his often-pilloried book, ''From Bauhaus to Our House'' Venturi, Scott Brown and Izenour were among the heroes the author praised for their stand against heroic Modernism.
+''Learning from Las Vegas'' caused a stir in the architectural world when published. Progressive critics took it as a bold indictment of Modernism; mainline practitioners found it blasphemous. A split among young American architects occurred during the 1970s, with Izenour, Venturi, [[Robert A.M. Stern]], Charles Moore and [[Allan Greenberg]] defended the book as "The Greys," and modernists [[Richard Meier]], [[Peter Eisenman]], [[John Heyduk]], and [[Michael Graves]] wrote against its premises as "The Whites." It became associated with [[post-modernism]] when magazines such as ''[[Progressive Architecture]]'' published articles citing its influence on the younger generation. When [[Tom Wolfe]] published his critical book, ''From Bauhaus to Our House,'' Venturi, Scott Brown and Izenour were among those architects the author praised for their stand against heroic Modernism.
 ==White Towers==
-In 1979, continuing his studies into the relationship of architecture and pop culture, Izenour along with fellow architect Paul Hirshorn wrote a monograph of the [[White Tower Hamburgers]] fast food chain with selected photographs taken in a variety of styles—from the stark and deadpan to family album-like snapshots. In an affectionately written introductory essay, Hirshorn and Izenour described the identifiable and idiosyncratic commercial architectural style of the 1930s and 1940s and documented the development of the White Tower's architecture and stylistic variations. Their conversations with former White Tower's employees, including Charles Johnson, White Tower's architect for over forty years, set their analysis of the buildings within a broader story of corporate culture, mass marketing, and the rise of franchising in the twentieth century.<ref>Paul Hirshorn and Steven Izenour, ''White Towers'', MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 1979, revised 2007. ISBN 9780262083683</ref>
+In 1979, continuing his studies into the relationship of architecture and pop culture, Izenour and  fellow architect [[Paul Hirshorn]] published a monograph about the [[White Tower Hamburgers]] fast food chain. Their book contained selected photographs taken in a variety of styles—from the stark and deadpan to family album-like snapshots. In an affectionately written introductory essay, Hirshorn and Izenour described the identifiable and idiosyncratic commercial architectural style of the 1930s and 1940s, and documented the development of the White Tower's architecture and stylistic variations. They used interviews with former White Tower employees, including Charles Johnson, White Tower's architect for over forty years, to set their analysis of the buildings within a broader context of corporate culture, mass marketing, and the rise of franchising in the twentieth century.<ref>Paul Hirshorn and Steven Izenour, ''White Towers'', MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 1979, revised 2007. {{ISBN|9780262083683}}</ref>
 ==Learning from the Wildwoods==
-Similar to the Las Vegas studies, in the 1990s Izenour started university courses for the study and preservation of 1950s [[Googie architecture#Wildwood, New Jersey|Doo Wop]] architecture in [[Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District|Wildwood]], N.J. In association with the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University and [[Kent State University]], he came up with the ''Wildwoods Redevelopment Plan''<ref>[http://www.doowopusa.org/pop-thevision.html Steven Izenour, ''Learning from the Wildwoods...'']</ref> which laid the foundation for the regeneration of the beach resort.<ref>[http://www.metropolismag.com/html/content_0102/ob/ob05.html Melissa Milgrom, ''Learning from Steve Izenour'', The Metropolis Observed, Metropolis Magazine, January 2002]</ref>
+Similar to the Las Vegas studies, in the 1990s Izenour started university courses for the study and preservation of 1950s [[Googie architecture#Wildwood, New Jersey|Doo Wop]] architecture in [[Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District|Wildwood]], New Jersey, a Shore community. In association with the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and [[Kent State University]], he came up with the ''Wildwoods Redevelopment Plan''.<ref>[http://www.doowopusa.org/pop-thevision.html Steven Izenour, ''Learning from the Wildwoods...'']</ref> It established a foundation to revitalize the beach resort.<ref>[http://www.metropolismag.com/html/content_0102/ob/ob05.html Melissa Milgrom, "Learning from Steve Izenour", The Metropolis Observed, ''Metropolis Magazine'', January 2002] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518003531/http://www.metropolismag.com/html/content_0102/ob/ob05.html |date=2014-05-18 }}</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 43: / Line 54: @@
 * [http://www.vsba.com/ ''Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Inc.'' firm web site]
+{{Commons category}}
-{{Authority control|VIAF=91861182}}
+{{Authority control}}
-{{Persondata
-| NAME              = Izenour, Steven
-| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
-| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American architect
-| DATE OF BIRTH     = July 16, 1940
-| PLACE OF BIRTH    = New Haven, CT
-| DATE OF DEATH     = August 21, 2001
-| PLACE OF DEATH    = Vermont
-}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Izenour, Steven}}
-[[Category:American architects]]
+[[Category:20th-century American architects]]
 [[Category:Postmodern architects]]
 [[Category:American architecture writers]]
+[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
 [[Category:Urban theorists]]
 [[Category:Fellows of the American Institute of Architects]]
@@ Line 63: / Line 67: @@
 [[Category:Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters]]
 [[Category:University of Pennsylvania faculty]]
-[[Category:Yale University alumni]]
+[[Category:Yale School of Architecture alumni]]
 [[Category:1940 births]]
 [[Category:Architecture firms based in Pennsylvania]]
 [[Category:Architects from Pennsylvania]]
 [[Category:2001 deaths]]
+[[Category:University of Pennsylvania School of Design alumni]]
+[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]

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