Fred Severud

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Fred Nicholas Severud (né Fridtjof Hermann Nicolai Sæverud; June 8, 1899 - June 11, 1990) was a Norwegian-born, American structural engineer. His projects included the

St. Louis Gateway Arch, Seagram Building and Madison Square Garden
. [1]

Background

Severud was born in

Norwegian Parliament from Bergen (1945 - 1949) [3]
Severud attended the Bergen Cathedral School and later studied at the Norwegian Institute of Technology. In 1923, Severud emigrated to the United States, entering through Ellis Island. Shortly thereafter, Severud started work for an engineering company, where he was rapidly promoted.[4][5]

Career

Severud utilized the experience he gained in his early years of designing successful housing projects. In 1928 he founded an engineering consultancy in Manhattan called Severud-Elstad-Krueger Associates, renamed twenty years later as Severud-Perrone-Sturm-Bandel, and now known as Severud Associates. He also lectured and was the author of several books and articles on architectural and engineering subjects.[6]

Along with Joseph H. Abel (1905-1985), he wrote one of the industry’s first comprehensive books, Apartment Houses (Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 1947) on how to best design, build and operate apartment ventures. A few years later, as one of the few structural engineers in the world to have analyzed the forces from and the effects of atomic bombs, together with Anthony F. Merrill he wrote a textbook on protection from nuclear explosions called The Bomb, Survival and You (Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 1954).[7]

Olympic Stadium in Munich, visited his office in 1951 during the construction of the Raleigh Livestock Arena. Edmund (Ted) Happold founder of Buro Happold, worked for several years in his office.[8]

Selected projects

Gallery

  • Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, Germany
    Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, Germany
  • Ingalls Rink in New Haven, Connecticut
    Ingalls Rink in New Haven, Connecticut
  • J.S. Dorton Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina
    J.S. Dorton Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina
  • Toronto City Hall in Toronto, Ontario
    Toronto City Hall in Toronto, Ontario
  • Madison Square Garden in New York City
    Madison Square Garden in New York City

Selected works

  • The Bomb, Survival, and You: Protection for people, buildings, equipment with Anthony F. Merrill (1954)
  • Apartment Houses: Progressive Architecture Library with Joseph H. Abel (1947)

Honors

A fellow in the

Franklin P. Brown Medal (1952). The American Institute of Architects presented him with its prestigious Honorary Associate Member award for his lifetime of contributions to structural design.[15]

Personal life

On Sept. 11, 1923 he married Signe Hansen, whom he had known at the Norwegian Institute of Technology. They would have four children – Fred, Jr. (1936-2021), Inger [Jonsen] (1924-1961), Laila [Shalkoski] (1925-2016), and Sonja [Susich] (1931-2015). As a

Miami, Florida at the age of 91 from Alzheimer's disease.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fred Severud; Civil Engineer, 91". New York Times. 1990-06-14. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  2. ^ Engineering Legends: Great American Civil Engineers, Richard Weingardt, ASCE Press, 2005
  3. ^ "Harald Sæverud, Komponist". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  4. ^ Fred N. Severud Memorial Tributes (National Academy of Engineering, Volume 5 (1992)], National Academy of Engineering (NAE), article by Anton Tedesk)
  5. ^ "Bjarne Peder Olai Sæverud (1892-1978)". Stortinget. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  6. ^ Richard G. Weingardt, P.E. "Fred N. Severud, Cable Roof Pioneer and Monument Builder". Nibas B. Apu. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  7. ^ "Joseph Henry Abel (1905-1985)". AIA Historical Directory of American Architects. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  8. ^ Philip Steadman, The evolution of designs: biological analogy in architecture and the applied arts (revised edition, Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008)
  9. ^ Extended history of the J.S. Dorton Arena (N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services)
  10. ^ Place Ville Marie Pei, Cobb, Freed & Partners)
  11. ^ House of the Cultures of the World (berlin.de)]
  12. ^ "David S. Ingalls Rink". structurae. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  13. ^ Toronto City Hall: How Finnish architecture rebranded a city (Lisa Rochon. The Globe and Mail Inc. Sep. 17, 2010)
  14. ^ J.E.N. Jensen, Associate Director. "The Construction of the Arch". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  15. ^ "1964 Fred N. Severud". Ernest E. Howard Award Past Award Winners. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  16. ^ "From Atheism to a Purposeful Life". Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. October 15, 1982. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  17. ^ "Fred Severud; Designed Madison Square Garden, Gateway Arch". Los Angeles Times. June 15, 1990. Retrieved March 5, 2016.

Other sources

External links
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