JOHNSON, Philip (Cortelyou) 1906-2005

OBITUARY NOTICE— See index for CA sketch: Born July 8, 1906, in Cleveland, OH; died January 25, 2005, in New Canaan, CT. Architect and author. Ranging in style preferences from the international school to postmodernism, Johnson was one of the leading American architects of the twentieth century. The son of a well-to-do lawyer, he attended Harvard University and graduated in 1930 with a bachelor's degree. His college years were difficult because he was struggling with his growing realization that he was a homosexual; this led to his dropping out of school several times before he completed his degree. However, the 1920s were also an important formative period for Johnson professionally. While traveling in Europe, he met two of the most famous architects of the time, Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. These two men steered the young Johnson toward the international style, which is distinguished in particular by the creation of the glass-and-steel skyscrapers that have significantly changed the character of the modern city landscape. After he graduated from Harvard, Johnson used stocks his father had given him to become the founding director of the department of architecture at the Museum of Modern Art. Traveling in Germany again in the mid-1930s, he was impressed by the economic prosperity of the country and its Nazi party. Johnson then became a supporter of the National Socialists and even tried to set up his own American version of the party when he returned home. This effort fell apart, however, and he spent much of the late 1930s living on his parents' farm and suffering the criticism of his colleagues. Johnson eventually returned to Harvard, where he earned his bachelor's in architecture in 1943, though it took him several tries to pass the licensing exam. Johnson, who would continue to work at the museum until 1954, formed a partnership with architect Landis Gores in 1946, and together they designed such structures as the Seagram Building in New York City. In 1949, Johnson completed his stunning home, Glass House, in New Canaan, Connecticut, a structure made all of glass with iron supports that gave the impression one was outside even while standing in the middle of the home. (He donated the home to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.) Johnson, who considered himself a traditionalist who encouraged experimentation, eventually turned away from the international style to become a leader in the postmodernist movement that began in the 1960s. He broke off his partnership with Gores to work with Richard Forster in 1964, and in 1967 he partnered with John Burgee. His and Burgee's collaborations continued until 1987. During these years, Johnson designed the AT&T skyscraper (now the Sony building). Nicknamed the "Chippendale skyscraper" because of the ornamentation on its top that looks like a decoration from the well-known furniture designer, it is considered a prime example of the postmodern style. Other works by Johnson over the years have included the New York State Theater, the somewhat infamous "Lipstick" building in New York City, the Pennzoil Plaza in Houston, Texas, the Investors Diversified Services Center in Minneapolis, Minneapolis, and the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. Johnson's accomplishments have been both admired and discredited by critics. Many have seen him as a leader of twentieth-century architecture who drew on his knowledge of history and then adapted it to modern sensibilities, while others felt that his often-simple style cheapened cityscapes. The architect sometimes found himself in trouble for his outspokenness, too, once calling those in his profession "high-class whores." (He later said that he only meant that their expertise could be purchased.) Despite such problems with his colleagues, he received some of architecture's most prestigious awards, including the Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects in 1978 and the Pritzker Prize in 1979. In 1984 he was presented with the Herbert Adams Medal from the National Sculpture Society. After splitting with Burgee in 1987, Johnson became a sole practitioner, remaining active until late in life. He was the coauthor or author of several books, including The International Style: Architecture since 1922 (1932; second edition, 1996), Architecture, 1949-1965 (1966), Deconstructive Architecture (1988), and The Glass House (1993).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, January 27, 2005, section 1, pp. 1, 5.

New York Times, January 27, 2005, pp. A1, C20.

Times (London, England), January 28, 2005, p. 69.

Washington Post, January 27, 2005, pp. A1, A6.