Kahn, Louis I.

Louis I. Kahn (1901–1974) is considered one of the great architects of the 20th century due to his influence as an educator, mentor, philosopher, and practitioner in the field of modern architecture. Although he is simultaneously associated with the Beaux-Arts movement of the early 20th century and the International Style of modernism in the mid-20th century, Kahn's importance stems from his ability to remain outside of any established school of architecture. Instead, Kahn insisted that he drew from ancient Greek and Roman architecture in order to restore a sense of civic monumentality to American architecture. At times, Kahn's work is associated with the architectural style known as Brutalism, in which buildings are formed with unadorned poured concrete and feature repetitive geometric patterns. Finally, it was the city itself, especially Philadelphia, from which Kahn drew his inspiration.

Born on the Baltic isle of Osel in Estonia in 1901, Kahn immigrated with his family to the United States in 1905. Settling in Philadelphia, Kahn attended Central High School and studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was influenced by the teachings of Paul Cret, a noted architect of the Beaux-Arts school and one of the primary designers of Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Upon graduation in 1924, Kahn was hired by the firm of John Molitor, architect for the city of Philadelphia. It was here Kahn worked on the design for the buildings of Philadelphia's 1926 Sesquicentennial Exhibition.

Throughout the late 1920s to late 1940s, Kahn worked on a variety of projects, including city planning, government buildings, synagogues, private residences, and public and group housing projects. In 1929, Kahn, working in the offices of Paul Cret, participated in the Folger Shakespeare Library project in Washington, D.C. In 1932, Kahn formed the Architectural Research Group (ARG) with Dominique Berninger in Philadelphia. While only lasting until 1934, this group of young Philadelphia architects formulated a progressive philosophy of architecture that broke with the Beaux-Arts style and looked to the new modernism of European architects. The ideas formulated by the ARG would carry over into Kahn's work with the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and for the Federal Public Housing Authority.

It was not, however, until later in life that Kahn earned his reputation as a great educator and leading architect on the international scene. In 1947, Kahn became a professor at Yale, going on to design the University's Art Gallery between 1951 and 1953. In the late 1950s, Kahn returned to his beloved Philadelphia, becoming a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. It was here that Kahn designed his first landmark building, the Alfred Newton Richards Medical Laboratories on the university's campus. It was at Penn that Kahn became known as a great educator and philosopher. His later works, from 1959 to his death in 1974, cemented his international reputation. These works include the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California (1959–1966); Erdman Hall Dormitories, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania (1960–1965); Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas (1967–1972); and the Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban (National Assembly Building), Dhaka, Bangladesh (1962–1974). In addition, Kahn's protégés include [Page 408]such prominent modern and postmodern architects as Robert Venturi and Moshe Safdie, extending his influence into the 21st century.

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