Ralph Rapson

Infobox Architect


name=Ralph Rapson
nationality= American
birth_date=birth date|1914|9|13
birth_place= Alma, Michigan, United States
death_date=death date|2008|3|29
death_place= Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
practice_name=Ralph Rapson and Associates
significant_buildings=Guthrie Theater (demolished), Riverside Plaza (Cedar Square West), University of Minnesota Rarig Center, churches, residences and U.S. embassies
significant_projects=Knoll furniture, Case Study House

Ralph Rapson (September 13 1914, Alma, Michigan – March 29, 2008, Minneapolis, Minnesota) was one of the world's oldest practicing architects at his death at age 93, and also one of the most prolific.

Education

Rapson earned architecture degrees at the University of Michigan, and at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he studied under Eliel Saarinen. “Cranbrook was a very exciting, dynamic place where I met and worked with guys like Charlie Eames, Harry Bertoia, and Harry Weese,” Rapson said.

Teaching

Rapson taught architecture at the New Bauhaus School (now IIT Institute of Design) from from 1942-46, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1946-54. [cite news|author=Pobegrin, Robin|title=Ralph Rapson, Modernist Architect, Is Dead at 93|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/arts/design/03rapson|date=April 3, 2008|publisher=New York Times|accessdate=2008-05-06]

He was head of the architecture school at the University of Minnesota from 1954-84, where "generations of Minnesota architects came up through [his] tutelage." [cite news|author=Abbe, Mary|title=Architect of original Guthrie was an icon and an innovator|url=http://www.startribune.com/local/17155846.html|date=April 4, 2008|publisher=Minneapolis Star Tribune|accessdate=2008-05-06]

Architectural practice and philosophy

Rapson practiced in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1954-2008. His work was predominantly in the Modernist style. “Practically all the work I’ve done is not too far off from Bauhaus principles,” he said.

But his work was oriented to people rather than abstract principles. He said: “Whenever I’m designing a building or a piece of furniture, people become a strong part of my general approach. The design process isn’t just about bricks and stones; for me it’s also about the people in a building and how I expect them to live.”cite news|author=Britt, Aaron|title=Bohemian Rapson|url=http://www.dwell.com/peopleplaces/profiles/10021666.html|date=November, 2007|publisher=Dwell Magazine|accessdate=2008-05-06]

Rapson was a prolific sketch artist and kept volumes of sketchbooks from his various world travels. A book of selected sketches was published in 2002. ["Ralph Rapson: Sketches and Drawings from Around the World", Afton Historical Society Press, 2002, ISBN 1890434493.] In the book's introduction, Cesar Pelli wrote: His drawings were "completely self-assured" and "looked quintessentially American."

Projects

Some of Rapson's most important projects include:
* Case Study House No. 4, or "Greenbelt House", 1945 (part of the Case Study House program)
** The "Greenbelt House" was constructed in 1989 for an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. [cite news|author=Noland, Claire|title=Ralph Rapson, 93; modernist architect|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-rapson2apr02,0,5727327.story|date=April 2, 2008|publisher=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=2008-05-06]
** In recent years Rapson's firm developed a line of prefabricated modern houses called the Rapson Greenbelt, which grew out of a submission for the Dwell Home Design Invitational and are now available through a company called Wieler (http://wieler.com/homes/rapson-greenbelt/overview/).
* "Rapson Rapid Rocker" for Knoll Furniture, 1945
* United States Embassy, Stockholm, Sweden, 1954
* United States Embassy, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1954
* St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Edina, Minnesota 1957
* Cedar Square West (now Riverside Plaza) housing complex, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1962-73 (a federally funded New-Town-in-Town)
* Pillsbury House in Wayzata, Minnesota, 1963 (demolished 1997)
* Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1963 (demolished 2006)
* St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, St. Paul Park, Minnesota, 1969
* Rarig Center for the Performing Arts, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1972
* Prince of Peace Lutheran Church for the Deaf, St. Paul, Minnesota (demolished 2007)

Awards and honors

* American Institute of Architects College of Fellows (FAIA)
* Gold Medal, Minnesota Society of Architects
* AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion, 1987
* Winner, Dwell magazine lounge chair design competition, 2007

Death and remembrances

Rapson died quietly in his home in Minneapolis on March 29, 2008. He was working in his office the previous day.

600 people attended his memorial service at the new Guthrie Theater. He was described as a "rock star" in the field. [cite news|author=Abbe, Mary|title=A final curtain call for the Guthrie's architect|url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/art/17991754.html|date=April 21, 2008|publisher=Minneapolis Star Tribune|accessdate=2008-05-06]

Thomas Fisher, of the College of Design at the University of Minnesota, said: “His passing ends an era in American architecture as well as in the history of the school, and he will be very much missed by the thousands of people he influenced.” [cite news|title=Ralph Rapson, FAIA Remembered|url=http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek08/0411/0411n_rapson.cfm|date=April 11, 2008|publisher=AIA Architect|accessdate=2008-05-06] Linda Mack remembered him as "A gentleman of the old school [who] maintained his career, his dignity, his charm and his kindliness to the end. He left more than an architectural legacy." [cite news|author=Mack, Linda|title=Rapson remembered|url=http://www.minnpost.com/lindamack/2008/04/01/1347/rapson_remembered|date=April 1, 2008|work=MinnPost.com|publisher=MinnPost|accessdate=2008-05-06] According to Kay Lockhart, "Ralph loved being an architect, and he told me once, he 'felt sorry for anyone who wasn't an architect.' He infused us all with that same spirit." [cite news|author=Lockhart, Kay|title=An apprenticeship with Ralph Rapson|url=http://www.minnpost.com/community_voices/2008/04/21/1567/an_apprenticeship_with_ralph_rapson|date=April 21, 2008|work=MinnPost.com|publisher=MinnPost|accessdate=2008-04-21]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.rapsonarchitects.com/ Ralph Rapson and Associates]
* [http://www.rapsonarchitects.com/ The Rapson Greenbelt]
* [http://www.wieler.com/ Wieler — Modern Prefab Houses]