Nathaniel A. Owings facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nathaniel A. Owings
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| Born | February 5, 1903 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
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| Died | June 13, 1984 (aged 81) Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.
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| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | 1983 AIA Gold Medal |
| Practice | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill |
Nathaniel Alexander Owings (born February 5, 1903 – died June 13, 1984) was a famous American architect. He helped start a huge architecture company called Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, often known as SOM. This company grew to be one of the biggest in the world! Nathaniel Owings was especially good at designing tall buildings, like skyscrapers. People knew him as a "catalyst" because he was great at solving problems and bringing people together on big projects.
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Nathaniel Owings' Early Life
Nathaniel Owings was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1903. His sister, Eloise, later married Louis Skidmore, who would become Nathaniel's business partner. In 1920, Nathaniel traveled across Europe. This trip made him want to study architecture.
He started studying at the University of Illinois. However, he had to leave school early because he got sick. He then continued his studies at Cornell University and earned his degree in 1927.
Starting His Architecture Career
Nathaniel Owings' first job as an architect was in New York City. He worked for a company called York and Sawyer. As a young architect, Owings was very impressed by Raymond Hood. Hood designed the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center. Owings later said that seeing this 70-story skyscraper for the first time was amazing.
Hood's recommendation helped Owings get a job working on the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. This was a big world's fair held from 1929 to 1934. His brother-in-law, Louis Skidmore, was the main architect for the fair. Together, they designed the layout and buildings for the entire event. They had to build many pavilions (exhibit halls) for over 500 displays. They needed to do this at a very low cost, using light, factory-made materials. They found simple solutions, even building pavilions out of beaverboard.
After the fair, Owings and Skidmore worked on their own for a bit. Then, in 1936, they started a partnership in Chicago. They had a small office and worked on projects for companies they had met at the Chicago fair. One house they designed in Northfield, Illinois, still looks modern today. It has open rooms and large windows.
In 1937, they opened a second office in New York. There, a young architect named Gordon Bunshaft joined them. This new office first focused on designing a building for the American Radiator Company.
Forming Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
In 1939, the two architects won a contract to design the 1939 New York World's Fair. That same year, an engineer named John O. Merrill joined their company as a partner. The company's name was then changed to Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, or SOM.
The company's operations were spread out. Owings was mainly in charge of the Chicago office, while Skidmore worked in New York. Owings and Skidmore sometimes found it hard to get along. Even with their disagreements, SOM grew very successfully. Having offices in both New York and Chicago was good for business. The company found lots of work in both cities.
SOM took on many large projects, including buildings for the government and military bases. During World War II, the company was hired to build a secret town for 75,000 people in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This was where the atomic bomb was being developed.
Owings was especially good at convincing company leaders to hire SOM for their projects. The partners became known for their ability to get new business and organize large projects. They often relied on other talented people in the firm to do the creative design work. SOM became famous for being reliable in big developments. In the 1950s, it was one of the biggest and most talked-about skyscraper builders. Owings even called SOM "the King Kong" of architecture firms.
SOM helped make the International style of architecture popular after the war. One of SOM's most famous early buildings is Lever House (1952). It was designed by Gordon Bunshaft and showed the influence of architect Mies van der Rohe. Bunshaft was a great designer, and Owings helped him by being a "super-salesman" for their projects.
In 1954, SOM received another big government project. They were chosen to design the campus for the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. Not everyone liked SOM's modern designs. As a senior partner, Owings' main job was to help solve disagreements. He worked to bring together members of Congress and Air Force officers who had doubts about the modern plans.
Owings' Individual Contributions
Nathaniel Owings also played a big role in important city planning projects. In the early 1960s, he was a key figure in the plan to redesign Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. This was one of the most important redevelopment projects in the country. He led the team that created the first designs for over a year.
Owings was chairman of the Temporary Commission on Pennsylvania Avenue from 1964 to 1973. He also became a member of the Permanent Commission. He believed that parts of the National Mall should be for people walking, not cars. He also wanted to limit new buildings in that area.
Owings and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, an adviser to President Richard Nixon, are often given credit for the successful plan for the Washington Mall. They also helped redesign Pennsylvania Avenue to be a grand, ceremonial street for the capital. Owings' ideas continued to influence projects even after his direct involvement ended. His student, David Childs, was later appointed by President Gerald Ford to lead the National Capital Planning Commission.
Owings also worked to stop a large highway from being built through Baltimore. He was a member of the Secretary of the Interior's Advisory Board for National Parks, Historic Sites, Buildings and Monuments from 1967 to 1972. He was honored for his work on many other important projects, including plans for scenic highways in California and the Monterey coast.
Later Years and Environmental Work
Owings moved to San Francisco in 1951. His first marriage ended in divorce.
Big Sur and Conservation
In 1958, Owings built a unique A-frame home in Big Sur, California. This was where he proposed to his second wife, Margaret Wentworth Owings. Their home was nicknamed the "Wild Bird House" and was their permanent vacation spot. Time magazine called it "the most beautiful house on the most beautiful site" in the United States.
With his wife, Nathaniel helped create the Big Sur Land Use Plan. This was a master plan to protect Big Sur's beautiful coastline. This work became the basis for how Big Sur's land is used today. This project was a very important step for Owings. It introduced him to environmental concerns and led to many contributions to conservation efforts. There is a special place called the Nathaniel Owings Memorial Redwood Grove at Big Sur to remember him.
Life in Santa Fe
Owings had strong ties to the Santa Fe area since 1944. He and his first wife, Emily, lived in Santa Fe and built a house in Pojoaque, New Mexico. They raised their four children there.
In his later years, Owings kept a home near Nambé Pueblo, New Mexico. He became known as an active preservationist in the Santa Fe region. One of his notable successes was in Las Trampas, New Mexico. There, a church from the 1760s, the San José de Gracia Church, was saved from being torn down for a highway. This was thanks to a group of villagers and citizens from Santa Fe.
Nathaniel Owings died at age 81 in Santa Fe, New Mexico on June 13, 1984. His second wife, Margaret Wentworth Owings, survived him.
Notable Projects
During his long career, Owings oversaw projects worth over $3 billion. Some of these include:
- 1962—Air Force Academy Chapel at Colorado Springs, Colorado
- 1968—Wells College Library at Aurora, New York
- 1970—John Hancock Center, at Chicago, Illinois
- 1971—Weyerhaeuser Headquarters near Tacoma, Washington
- 1972—Haj Terminal at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- 1974—First Wisconsin Plaza at Madison, Wisconsin
- 1976—Sears Tower at Chicago, Illinois
- 1982—Enerplex, North Building at Princeton, New Jersey
Books by Owings
- 1969—The American Aesthetic (with William Garnett).
- 1973—The Spaces in Between: An Architect's Journey.
Awards and Honors
- 1983—American Institute of Architects Gold Medal.
- 1983—Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, University of New Mexico
- 1961 – Elected into the National Academy of Design
Images for kids
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Nathaniel A. Owings
See also
In Spanish: Nathaniel A. Owings para niños
