Obituary: James Stewart Polshek, FAIA (1930-2022)

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[["video-card",{"video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=uzKJc26hQHM\u0026t=89s"}]],"markups":[["a",["href","https:\/\/www.architectmagazine.com\/awards\/2018-gold-medal-james-polshek-faia_o"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.architectmagazine.com\/videos\/a-session-a-conversation-with-james-stewart-polshek-faia_o"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"James Stewart\nPolshek, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and "],[0,[0],1,"AIA\nGold Medalist"],[0,[],0,", has died at the age of 92. His humanist design legacy etched\narchitecture\u2019s ideals into each of his projects and he inspired students,\nfaculty, peers, and clients to serve their communities through design, critical\nthinking, care, and warmth. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Polshek founded\nhis eponymous architecture firm in 1963, which went through several\nincarnations\u2014all testaments to his penchant for invention and reinvention. He\nretired in 2005, serving until his death as design counsel for the firm, which\nwas renamed Ennead in 2010."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Polshek was\ncelebrated as an architect\u2019s architect who was inspired by design\u2019s unique\nability to respond to people, and he was equally celebrated as an educator who\nwas generous in spirit and selfless in his mentorship of others. As the lauded\nDean of Columbia University\u2019s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and\nPreservation from 1972 to 1987, Polshek emboldened students to think critically\nabout practice, theory, style, and ultimately architecture\u2019s meaning in\nsociety. His collaborative spirit also led to a complete revision of the\nschool\u2019s curriculum and direction that, in turn, reversed its decline and\nattracted world-class faculty in the 1980s and 1990s. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cJames Polshek was an architect\nwhose success was his art and his architecture was his legacy,\u201d said 2022 AIA President\nDan Hart, FAIA. \u201cFor anyone who worked with him, or even just met him in\npassing, his humanity and warmth nearly eclipsed everything else\u2014from his skill\nin rebuilding Columbia into a powerhouse to his talent in developing client\nrelationships into true partnerships. He was a giant.\u201d"]]],[1,"blockquote",[[0,[],0," \u201cFor anyone who worked with him, or even just met him in\npassing, his humanity and warmth nearly eclipsed everything else\u2014from his skill\nin rebuilding Columbia into a powerhouse to his talent in developing client\nrelationships into true partnerships. He was a giant.\u201d - Dan Hart, FAIA, 2022 AIA President\n"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Born in Akron,\nOhio, Polshek earned a Master of Architecture degree from Yale in 1955 and\nworked for a period of time in the office of I.M. Pei. Later as founder and\nprincipal of James Stewart Polshek Architect, he fostered a complementary environment\nof collaboration and rigorous research to create enduring architecture."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"His\nunparalleled vision and leadership earned the firm countless accolades,\nincluding more than 200 design awards. Among them, the 1992 AIA Architecture\nFirm Award and 15 National Honor Awards for Architecture. Polshek received the\nGold Medal award from the AIA New York City chapter in 1986."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In 2002, he was\nhonored with the Municipal Art Society\u2019s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal, and\nwas inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2005, the year\nof his retirement, Polshek was elected to the American Academy of Arts and\nLetters, and he received honorary degrees from Pratt Institute, the New School\nUniversity Parsons School of Design, and the New Jersey Institute of\nTechnology. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThe true\nimportance of architecture lies in its ability to solve human problems, not\nstylistic ones. A building is too permanent and too influential on public life\nand personal comfort to be created primarily as \u2018public art\u0027,\u201d Polshek wrote of\nhis design philosophy in Context \u0026 Responsibility, a midpoint-career\nretrospective published in 1988. \u201cModern abstractions or nostalgia cannot\nthemselves generate ideas for structures of lasting value. Only buildings that\nserve broadly defined social, political, or cultural objectives can achieve\nthis.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Over the course\nof four decades his firms have tackled vital research, cultural, and\ngovernmental projects that have enriched the lives of those in and near them.\nAs the architect for the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock,\nArk., completed in 2004, Polshek implemented a translucent crystalline bridge\nto calm the tension between monumentality and accessibility. Clad in glass, the\nbold cantilevered form is a metaphor for the 42nd president\u2019s progressive\nideals."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Polshek\u2019s\n1987 restoration and renovation of New York\u2019s Carnegie Hall began with a master\nplan that helped establish his enduring approach to revitalization. A complete\nrestoration of the hall\u2019s original details as well as the implementation of new\nones\u2014lighting, graphics, and a new marquee\u2014were coupled with a heavy dose of\nadvocacy for landmark buildings threatened by market forces."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In Washington,\nD.C., the 645,000-square-foot Newseum\/Freedom Forum Headquarters, completed in\n2008, is a monument to journalism and free speech. The architectural expression\nof the institution\u2019s mission manifests in a symbol of openness: a\n4,500-square-foot clear glass \u201cwindow\u201d woven into the fabric of the city\u2019s Penn\nQuarter. Polshek\u2019s National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia,\njust a block from Independence Hall, references the immigrant experience in\nAmerica through two interlocking volumes of opaqueness and transparency. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Other notable\nprojects spanning his half century of work include the Museum of the City of\nNew York; the American Museum of Natural History and the Rose Center for Earth\nand Space in New York; New York University\u2019s Tisch School of the Arts and\nInstitute of Performing Arts; Cornell University\u2019s Computing and Information\nScience Building and Weill Medical College, Biomedical Research Building; the\nCathedral of St. John the Divine\u2019s Crypt Arts Center and North Transept\nRenovation; and the Standard Hotel standing triumphantly astride the High Line,\namong many others."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u201cThe legacy of\nJames Polshek is profound,\u201d said AIA EVP\/CEO Lakisha Woods. \u201cHis immense\ntalents as an architect, educator, and mentor will leave a lasting legacy that\nwill serve as a reminder of the power of design to elevate our spirits and\nimagine a better future.\u201d "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Polshek\u2019s\nsensitivity as an architect and his willingness to give credit to\nothers\u2014whether they be his clients, partners, staff, or collaborators\u2014are\nlegendary. No matter the project or endeavor, he raised the intellectual level\nof discussion about design\u2019s ideals. No matter the urban or social context, he\npursued the unambiguous goal of always creating architecture that was a sustaining\nand affirming force for the people who would inevitably occupy it. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Learn more\nabout Polshek\u2019s illustrious career in a "],[0,[1],1,"2018\nvideo interview"],[0,[],0," where he discusses his experiences and his vision for the\nfuture of architecture. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Watch this video honoring Polshek\u0027s 2018 AIA Gold Medal award: "]]],[10,0]]}