Alfred Preis
Encyclopedia
Alfred Preis designed the USS Arizona Memorial
in Pearl Harbor
.
Preis, who was born in Austria
, and lived in Honolulu was detained for three months at the Sand Island Detainment Camp in Hawaii after the December 7, 1941 attack as part of the internment
policy of Japanese
and German American
s.
The memorial, which was dedicated by John F. Kennedy
in 1962, was initially criticized for being a "squashed milk carton" because of its sagging center roof design. Preis responded:
"Wherein the structure sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expresses initial defeat and ultimate victory....The overall effect is one of serenity. Overtones of sadness have been omitted to permit the individual to contemplate his own personal responses...his innermost feelings."http://architecture.about.com/library/blmemorials-pearlharbor.htm.
The memorial is Oahu's biggest tourist destination with 1.5 million visitors a year.
Preis was selected from several architect designs. for the memorial. The Navy stipulated that the memorial was supposed to resemble a bridge, handle 200 people and not touch Arizona herself. The original design included portholes where visitors could see the ship beneath the surface. The Navy vetoed this.
Preis' ashes were scattered from the memorial.
Other works include the entrance to the Honolulu Zoo
, creation of a park around the Hawaii Capitol, a championing a successful effort that made Hawaii the first state to require companies to donate 1 percent of construction costs for public art.
USS Arizona Memorial
The USS Arizona Memorial, located at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors killed on the USS Arizona during the Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 by Japanese imperial forces and commemorates the events of that day...
in Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
.
Preis, who was born in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and lived in Honolulu was detained for three months at the Sand Island Detainment Camp in Hawaii after the December 7, 1941 attack as part of the internment
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
policy of Japanese
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
and German American
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
s.
The memorial, which was dedicated by John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in 1962, was initially criticized for being a "squashed milk carton" because of its sagging center roof design. Preis responded:
"Wherein the structure sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expresses initial defeat and ultimate victory....The overall effect is one of serenity. Overtones of sadness have been omitted to permit the individual to contemplate his own personal responses...his innermost feelings."http://architecture.about.com/library/blmemorials-pearlharbor.htm.
The memorial is Oahu's biggest tourist destination with 1.5 million visitors a year.
Preis was selected from several architect designs. for the memorial. The Navy stipulated that the memorial was supposed to resemble a bridge, handle 200 people and not touch Arizona herself. The original design included portholes where visitors could see the ship beneath the surface. The Navy vetoed this.
Preis' ashes were scattered from the memorial.
Other works include the entrance to the Honolulu Zoo
Honolulu Zoo
The Honolulu Zoo is a zoo located in Queen Kapiolani Park in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. It is the only zoo in the United States to be established by grants made by a sovereign monarch, and is built on part of the royal Queen Kapiolani Park. The Honolulu Zoo now features over 1,230 animals in...
, creation of a park around the Hawaii Capitol, a championing a successful effort that made Hawaii the first state to require companies to donate 1 percent of construction costs for public art.