William Van Alen
William Van Alen | |
---|---|
Born | Clinton & Russell | August 10, 1883
Buildings | Chrysler Building |
William Van Alen (August 10, 1883 – May 24, 1954) was an American architect, best known as the architect in charge of designing New York City's Chrysler Building (1928–30).
Life
William Van Alen was born in
After finishing his studies, Van Alen worked for firms in New York, notably working on the
By the time Van Alen returned to New York in 1910, he had become interested in new architectural styles, including the
Severance and Van Alen continued to practice on their own in New York, but Van Alen found it difficult to obtain large commissions and sustained his office with smaller commissions. In the mid-1920s he received two of these from
In the late 1920s, Severance and Van Alen found themselves engaged in designing buildings that were heralded in the press to become the tallest buildings in the world: Severance, the Manhattan Trust Building 40 Wall Street and Van Alen, the Chrysler Building. At 1046 feet, Van Alen's building won. However, both buildings were surpassed in height by the Empire State Building in 1931.[2]
The completion of the Chrysler Building was received by critics with mixed reactions. Van Alen was hailed as a "Doctor of Altitude" Nevertheless, the Chrysler Building remains a beloved New York City landmark structure.
Van Alen had failed to enter into a contract with Walter Chrysler when he received the Chrysler Building commission. After the building was completed, Van Alen requested payment of 6 percent of the building's construction budget ($14 million), a figure that was the standard fee of the time. After Chrysler refused payment, Van Alen sued him and won, eventually receiving the fee. The lawsuit significantly depreciated his reputation as an employable architect. After his career was effectively ruined by this, and further let down by the Great Depression, Van Alen focused his attention on teaching sculpture.[2]
Legacy]
Van Alen lent his name to the Van Alen Institute, a New York City-based nonprofit organization that is dedicated to improving design in the public realm through a program of exhibitions, competitions, publications, workshops, and forums and is an advocate for active and accessible waterfronts. Founded in 1894 as the Society of Beaux-Arts Architects, the Institute was renamed in 1996 in honor of Van Alen, its largest benefactor; at this time the organization was reorganized to focus on the public realm. The Institute's projects initiate interdisciplinary and international collaborations between practitioners, policymakers, students, educators, and community leaders.
The Van Alen Building, a neo-Art Deco/Streamline Moderne luxury apartment block on the seafront in Brighton, England, was also named after him. The 38-apartment development was built between 1999 and 2001.[9]
References
- ^ "William Van Alen". geni_family_tree. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bascomb, Neal (May 26, 2005), "For the Architect, a Height Never Again to Be Scaled", The New York Times, retrieved September 9, 2008
- ^
ISBN 0-393-73087-5
- ^ William Van Alen, Van Alen Institute, retrieved September 9, 2008
- ^ Pierpont, Claudia Roth (November 2, 2002), "The Sliver Spire. ('The Chrysler Building: Creating a New York Icon, Day by Day')(Book Review)", The New Yorker, retrieved September 9, 2008
- ^ "The History of 3 Midtown Neighbors". New York Times. July 22, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
- ^ "Lost Fast Food: Childs Restaurants in Washington". StreetsofWashington. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
- ^ a b Gray, Christopher (March 22, 1998), "Streetscapes/William Van Alen; An Architect Called the 'Ziegfeld of His Profession'", The New York Times, retrieved September 9, 2008
- ISBN 978-0-9564664-0-2
Further reading
- Bascomb, Neal (2003). ISBN 9780385506618.