Robert A. M. Stern facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert A. M. Stern
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| Born | May 23, 1939 New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Columbia University (BA) Yale University (MA) |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse(s) | Lynn Gimbel Solinger (divorced) |
| Children | Nicholas S. G. Stern |
| Awards | Driehaus Architecture Prize |
| Buildings | Comcast Tower, 15 Central Park West, 220 Central Park South, 520 Park Avenue, 30 Park Place, Pauli Murray College and Benjamin Franklin College |
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Robert Arthur Morton Stern (born May 23, 1939) is a famous architect, teacher, and writer from New York City. He started his own architecture company called Robert A. M. Stern Architects, also known as RAMSA. For many years, from 1998 to 2016, he was the leader of the Yale School of Architecture.
His company has designed many important buildings. These include the classic-looking apartment building 15 Central Park West in New York, two student dorms at Yale University, and the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. They also designed the modern Comcast Center skyscraper. In 2011, Stern won the Driehaus Architecture Prize for his work in modern classical architecture. He also designed Schwarzman College in China, which is a very advanced school building and one of the first to get a special "LEED Gold" green building award there.
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Early Life and School
Robert Stern was born in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1939. His family was Jewish. He spent his very first years in Manhattan before moving back to Brooklyn, where he grew up.
He went to Columbia University and earned a bachelor's degree in 1960. Later, he got a master's degree in architecture from Yale University in 1965. Stern has said that the historian Vincent Scully and the architect Philip Johnson were important teachers and inspirations for him when he was young.
Stern's Career in Architecture
After finishing his studies at Yale, Stern worked as a curator for the Architectural League of New York. He got this job thanks to his connection with Philip Johnson. While there, he helped organize an art show that included his own work and that of other architects who were not yet well-known.
In 1966, Stern left the Architectural League. He worked briefly for another architect, Richard Meier. Then, he spent about two and a half years at New York City's Housing and Development Administration. After that, he started his first company, Stern & Hagmann, with a friend from Yale, John S. Hagmann. In 1977, he started his current company, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, or RAMSA. Robert Stern is still a partner at RAMSA and plans to keep working.
Teaching Architecture
Robert Stern was the dean, or head, of the Yale School of Architecture from 1998 to 2016. He still teaches there even after stepping down as dean. Before that, he taught at Columbia University and was the director of a special center for studying American architecture there from 1984 to 1988.
Other Activities and Books
Stern is a very active writer. He has written, helped write, and edited many books about architecture. Five of these books are about the history of architecture in New York City, each covering a different time period.
In 1986, he hosted a TV show called "Pride of Place: Building the American Dream." This eight-part documentary series was shown on PBS. It featured famous architects like Peter Eisenman and Frank Gehry. Many people enjoyed watching "Pride of Place."
Robert Stern's Designs
Many of Stern's first projects were private houses in the New York metropolitan area, especially in places like the Hamptons. He also worked on projects for Walt Disney World, such as Disney's Yacht Club Resort and Disney's Beach Club Resort. He even helped plan the town of Celebration, Florida. From 1992 to 2003, Stern was on the board of directors for the Walt Disney Company.
Today, Stern is very well known for designing large apartment buildings in New York City. These include 20 East End Avenue, The Chatham, The Brompton, and 15 Central Park West. When it was finished, 15 Central Park West was one of the most successful apartment buildings ever built, selling for a total of $2 billion.
Stern has also designed some of the tallest buildings in the United States. One example is the glass-covered Comcast Center in Philadelphia. This building is the second tallest in both Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. The Driehaus Prize committee praised its design, saying it looked like a classic obelisk. This design, along with 15 Central Park West and the plan for Celebration, helped him win the Driehaus award.
More recently, Stern has designed three tall skyscrapers in New York City: 220 Central Park South, 520 Park Avenue, and 30 Park Place. These will be among the tallest buildings in the city when they are finished. In 2017, RAMSA completed a big addition to Yale University with two new student dorms, Pauli Murray College and Benjamin Franklin College. Both were designed in a Collegiate Gothic style, which looks like old university buildings.
Stern's Design Style
In the 1970s and early 1980s, Robert Stern became known as a postmodern architect. This meant he mixed classic design ideas with modern buildings. But by the mid-1980s, his work became more traditional, fitting in with the new New Classical architectural movement.
However, Stern himself says his designs are not just one style. He believes his projects use ideas from the local area and its traditions. In recent years, his office's work has included both traditional and modern designs. It depends on the type of building and where it is located. His style is best described as varied and fitting for its surroundings.
Cool Projects by Robert Stern
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15 Central Park West in New York City, 2008
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520 Park Avenue in New York City, 2018
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Disney's Beach Club Resort at the Walt Disney World, Florida, US, 1990
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Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, US, 2001
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Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, 2006
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University of Virginia Darden School of Business in Charlottesville, Virginia, US, in 2009.
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Robert Stern's Family Life
Robert Stern lives in an apartment in The Chatham, a building he actually designed in New York City. In 1966, he married a photographer named Lynn Gimbel Solinger. They later divorced in 1977. They have one son, Nicholas S. G. Stern, who runs his own construction and planning company.
Awards Robert Stern Has Won
- 1993: Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement
- 2006: Edmund N. Bacon Prize
- 2007: Athena Medal from the Congress for the New Urbanism
- 2008: Vincent Scully Prize
- 2010: Historic Districts Council's Landmarks Lion Award
- 2011: Driehaus Architecture Prize
- 2019: Louis Auchincloss Prize
See also
In Spanish: Robert A. M. Stern para niños
