Ernő Goldfinger
Ernő Goldfinger | |
---|---|
Carradale House Trellick Tower |
Ernő Goldfinger
Biography
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2024) |
Goldfinger was born in
Goldfinger moved to Paris in 1921, after the defeat and collapse of the
He was strongly influenced by the publication of Le Corbusier's
Modernist in London
In 1934, Ernő and his wife, Ursula, moved to a flat in
Post World War II
After the war, Goldfinger was commissioned to build new offices for the
Rise of the high rise
In an attempt to solve the huge shortage of housing in the country following World War II, during which nearly 4 million houses had been destroyed or damaged,
Among his most notable buildings of the period were the 27-floor Balfron Tower and the adjacent eleven-storey Carradale House in Poplar, which served as models for the similar 31-floor Trellick Tower in Kensal Town (started 1968, completed 1972). These three buildings are notable examples of Brutalist architecture.
Personal life
Goldfinger was known as a humourless man given to notorious rages. He sometimes fired his assistants if they were inappropriately jocular, and once forcibly ejected two prospective clients for imposing restrictions on his design.[4]
A discussion on a golf course about Ernő with Goldfinger's cousin prompted Ian Fleming to name the James Bond adversary and villain Auric Goldfinger after Ernő—Fleming had been among the objectors to the pre-war demolition of the cottages in Hampstead that were removed to make way for Goldfinger's house at 2 Willow Road. Goldfinger consulted his lawyers when Goldfinger was published in 1959, which prompted Fleming to threaten to rename the character 'Goldprick', but eventually decided not to sue; Fleming's publishers agreed to pay his costs and gave him six free copies of the book.[5][6]
Goldfinger died on 15 November 1987, at the age of 85, and was cremated at the Golders Green Crematorium where his ashes remain.[citation needed]
Legacy
Although Goldfinger enjoyed living in his own buildings, they were unpopular among both the public and many
In 2000, Ernő Goldfinger's estate endowed a sum of money to foster links between Hungary and the United Kingdom by sponsoring young Hungarian architectural students to study, travel, or work in the UK. Their intention was to honour his achievements, his commitment to his profession, and his lifelong support for his compatriots. Six RIBA Goldfinger Scholarships were awarded from 2002 to 2011.[7]
Buildings
- 1, 2 & 3 Willow Road, Hampstead, London. (Listed II*, 1974)
- 10 Regent's Park Road, Camden, London. (Listed II, 1998)[8]
- 45-46 Albemarle St, Green Park, London. (Listed II, 1991)[8]
- Balfron Tower, Tower Hamlets, London. (Listed II, 1996; II* 2014)[8]
- Carradale House(Listed II, 2000)
- Glenkerry House (Listed II, 2015)
- Benjamin's Mount, Windlesham. (Listed II*, 1999)[8]
- Brandlehow School, Putney, London. (Listed II, 1993)[8] And the attached caretaker's cottage[2]
- Cheltenham Estate and Edenham Way, Kensington & Chelsea (Listed II, 2012)[9]
- Trellick Tower (Listed II*, 1998)[8]
- Fulton House, on the campus of Swansea University
- Goldfinger House (Listed II, 1995)[8],[10] Shirley, West Midlands.
- Greenside School, Hammersmith, London. (Listed II*, 1993)[8]
- Haggerston Girls' School[11] and School House, (Listed II, 2004)
- Hille House, Watford
- Metro Central Heights (Alexander Fleming House), Southwark, London. (Listed II, 2013)
- Weiss shop – 2/2a Golders Green Road, London. (Built 1935)[12]
Bibliography
- Goldfinger: "The sensation of space", "Urbanism and the spatial order" and "The elements of enclosed space", three seminal articles published in Architectural Review, November 1941 to January 1942
References
- ^ Nigel Warburton, Ernö Goldfinger: The Life of an Architect, p. 12
- ^ a b Developer fined again over Goldfinger cottage Archived 24 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, BD online, Marguerite Lazell, 4 April 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2011
- MSN Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2006. Archived from the originalon 5 October 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2006.
- ^ Alice Rawsthorn (8 November 2009). "Child's Play". The New York Times. p. 3. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
- ^ Ben Macintyre (5 April 2008). "Was Ian Fleming the real 007?". The Times. London. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
- ^ John Ezard (3 June 2005). "How Goldfinger nearly became Goldprick". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
- ^ Goldfinger Scholarship Archived 2012-03-12 at the Wayback Machine, RIBA
- ^ a b c d e f g h Elain Harwood (2000), England, A guide to post-war listed buildings, London: …ellipsis (for English Heritage).
- ^ Campaign aims to save Goldfinger housing, BD online, 27 February 2009
- ^ "Goldfinger House: A Grade II Listed Building in Solihull". British Listed Buildings.
- ^ "Heritage Minister Andrew McIntosh announces plans to list post-war landmark 'Timepiece' sculpture at Tower Bridge" (Press release). Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 17 September 2003. Archived from the original on 9 December 2006. Retrieved 4 October 2006.
- ^ Golders Green Conservation Area character appraisal Archived 28 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine
Sources
- Nigel Warburton, Ernő Goldfinger: The Life of an Architect. Routledge, London, 2004; ISBN 978-0-415-37945-8.