Chermayeff, Serge Ivan

Chermayeff, Serge Ivan (1900–96). Born in Russia, he emigrated to England in 1910. He worked as a designer for a firm of decorators in London (1924–7) before becoming Director of the Modern Furnishings Department, Waring & Gillow (1928), and setting up his architectural practice in 1930. Among his works at that time were the interiors of the Cambridge Theatre (1930), and of the British Broadcasting Corporation (1932), both in London. He formed a partnership with Erich Mendelsohn (1933–6) which produced several classic Modern Movement buildings, including the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex (1934–5), the Nimmo House, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks. (1935), and another house at 64 Old Church Street, Chelsea, London (1935–6). His elegant house at Bentley Wood, Halland, Sussex (1938–9), looked forward to his period in America, and his use of timber-framed structures. He emigrated to the USA in 1940: his house at New Haven, CT (1962–3), is probably his most successful work there. With Christopher Alexander he published Community and Privacy (1963), and with Alexander Tzonis (1937– ), Shape of Community (1971).

Bibliography

Chermayeff & and C. Alexander (1963);
Chermayeff & and Tzonis (1971);
Kalman (1994);
Plunz (ed.) (1982);
Powers (2001)