Anthony J Lumsden
Encyclopedia
Anthony J. Lumsden, FAIA (born May 16, 1928, died September 27, 2011) is an American architect most noted for his sculptural and often "futuristic" designs. His projects in Southern California such as the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant
are often seen in Hollywood films and televisions shows such as Star Trek Next Generation as part of Starfleet Academy
.
Lumsden was born in England and raised in Sydney Australia where he went to the University of Sydney architecture school. After graduation he traveled throughout Europe on motorcycle for a year from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean and settled in London. After a few years there, he was eventually encouraged by a colleague to travel to the United States.
& associates in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan was running the blue print machine. He soon got an opportunity to work on a new chapel design for Concordia Senior College and Eero noticed his talent. He quickly became a core member of the design team at the office and met numerous famous designers and artists of the time such as Charles and Ray Eames
, Mies Van Der Rohe and Alexander Calder
. After Eero's death, Lumsden continued to work with Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo in Hamden, Connecticut. During this period of time he worked on several National AIA award-winning projects such as the General Motors Technical Center
.
In 1965, Lumsden and colleague Cesar Pelli
left Roche-Dinkeloo
to work in California together at Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall where Lumsden soon became Principal for Design for the firm and stayed in that position for over 25 years. In the 1970s many of his designs for rolling glass and steel buildings were published internationally. He was selected as a LA 12 member of the Silver Group, and the LA12 (twelve distinguished architects including John Lautner, Craig Elwood, Frank Gehry
, Cesar Pelli
, Ray Kappe
, organized by California State University, Pomona 1976). In 1979, he was also honored as one of six nationally recognized architects including Michael Graves
and James Wines
invited to display his work in the Museum of Modern Art for the BEST Showroom Competition in 1979 by Philip Johnson
.
Although he worked on hundreds of well known large scale projects including the Moscone Center
, Ontario International Airport
, and the San Francisco Marriott
(famous for its Flash Gordon
-like postmodern jukebox shaped tower), his most famous built work is the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant administration building.
Leon Whiteson, Architecture Critic for the Los Angeles Times described Lumsden, "In the practice of architecture, it is rare to find a man who is both highly successful and widely respected by his peers. Anthony Lumsden, is that rare man." By the general consent of colleagues and critics ranging from intensely opinionated minds like Britain's Charles Jencks
and Reyner Banham to practicing peers like Lou Naidorf, director of design for Welton Becket Associates, Lumsden is one of the best mainstream modernists in America, or anywhere."
Critic and Architectural Historian Professor Kenneth Frampton, Columbia University wrote in SD 1999, "Lumsden remains a man apart on the American scene, today, unsung by the critical establishment but regarded with great respect by those who have a longer aim in view."
Leon Whiteson, architectural critic, wrote in an article for the Los Angeles Times, "The Los Angeles architect with the longest track record and most respected reputation in the design of public projects is Anthony Lumsden".
Tillman Water Reclamation Plant
The Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant is a water reclamation plant located in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, Southern California, USA designed by California architect Anthony J Lumsden...
are often seen in Hollywood films and televisions shows such as Star Trek Next Generation as part of Starfleet Academy
Starfleet Academy
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet Academy is where the future's recruits to Starfleet will be trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded...
.
Lumsden was born in England and raised in Sydney Australia where he went to the University of Sydney architecture school. After graduation he traveled throughout Europe on motorcycle for a year from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean and settled in London. After a few years there, he was eventually encouraged by a colleague to travel to the United States.
Career
Lumsden 's first job at Eero SaarinenEero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
& associates in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan was running the blue print machine. He soon got an opportunity to work on a new chapel design for Concordia Senior College and Eero noticed his talent. He quickly became a core member of the design team at the office and met numerous famous designers and artists of the time such as Charles and Ray Eames
Charles and Ray Eames
Charles Ormond Eames, Jr and Bernice Alexandra "Ray" Eames were American designers, who worked in and made major contributions to modern architecture and furniture. They also worked in the fields of industrial and graphic design, fine art and film.-Charles Eames:Charles Eames, Jr was born in...
, Mies Van Der Rohe and Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...
. After Eero's death, Lumsden continued to work with Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo in Hamden, Connecticut. During this period of time he worked on several National AIA award-winning projects such as the General Motors Technical Center
General Motors Technical Center
The GM Technical Center is a General Motors facility in Warren, Michigan. The campus is home to 16,000 GM engineers, designers, and technicians and has been the center of the company's engineering effort since its inauguration in 1956....
.
In 1965, Lumsden and colleague Cesar Pelli
César Pelli
César Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects listed Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects...
left Roche-Dinkeloo
Roche-Dinkeloo
Roche-Dinkeloo, otherwise known as Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates LLC , is an architectural firm based in Hamden, Connecticut founded in 1966....
to work in California together at Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall where Lumsden soon became Principal for Design for the firm and stayed in that position for over 25 years. In the 1970s many of his designs for rolling glass and steel buildings were published internationally. He was selected as a LA 12 member of the Silver Group, and the LA12 (twelve distinguished architects including John Lautner, Craig Elwood, Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry
Frank Owen Gehry, is a Canadian American Pritzker Prize-winning architect based in Los Angeles, California.His buildings, including his private residence, have become tourist attractions...
, Cesar Pelli
César Pelli
César Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects listed Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects...
, Ray Kappe
Ray Kappe
Ray Kappe is an award winning architect and educator in Southern California. In 1972, he resigned his position as Founding Chair of the Department of Architecture at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and along with a group of faculty and students, started what eventually came to be...
, organized by California State University, Pomona 1976). In 1979, he was also honored as one of six nationally recognized architects including Michael Graves
Michael Graves
Michael Graves is an American architect. Identified as one of The New York Five, Graves has become a household name with his designs for domestic products sold at Target stores in the United States....
and James Wines
James Wines
James Wines is an American artist/architect associated with environmental design.Wines is also an architectural and design innovator, a product designer, and an educator...
invited to display his work in the Museum of Modern Art for the BEST Showroom Competition in 1979 by Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and later , as a trustee, he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the first Pritzker Architecture...
.
Although he worked on hundreds of well known large scale projects including the Moscone Center
Moscone Center
Moscone Center is the largest convention and exhibition complex in San Francisco, California. It comprises three main halls: Two underground halls underneath Yerba Buena Gardens, known as Moscone North and Moscone South, and a three-level Moscone West exhibition hall across 4th Street...
, Ontario International Airport
Ontario International Airport
LA/Ontario International Airport , formerly Ontario International Airport, is a public airport located east of the central business district of Ontario, a city in San Bernardino County, California, USA. This airport is owned and operated by the Los Angeles World Airports , an agency of the city...
, and the San Francisco Marriott
San Francisco Marriott
The San Francisco Marriott Marquis is a 39-story skyscraper in the Financial District of San Francisco, California. Situated at the intersection of Fourth and Mission Streets, across from the Sony Metreon and Moscone Convention Center, the building is recognizable by the distinctive postmodern...
(famous for its Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
-like postmodern jukebox shaped tower), his most famous built work is the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant administration building.
Awards and reputation
He has won more than 30 architectural design awards from institutions such as the American Institute of Architects, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Progressive Architecture, National Society of Professional Engineers, Consulting Engineers Association, Institute of Human Engineering Sciences, and American Institute of Steel Construction. In recognition of the design excellence of his projects and for "the innovation of his design approach," Lumsden was named to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in the first year of his eligibility.Leon Whiteson, Architecture Critic for the Los Angeles Times described Lumsden, "In the practice of architecture, it is rare to find a man who is both highly successful and widely respected by his peers. Anthony Lumsden, is that rare man." By the general consent of colleagues and critics ranging from intensely opinionated minds like Britain's Charles Jencks
Charles Jencks
Charles Alexander Jencks is an American architectural theorist, landscape architect and designer. His books on the history and criticism of Modernism and Postmodernism were widely read in architectural circles and beyond....
and Reyner Banham to practicing peers like Lou Naidorf, director of design for Welton Becket Associates, Lumsden is one of the best mainstream modernists in America, or anywhere."
Critic and Architectural Historian Professor Kenneth Frampton, Columbia University wrote in SD 1999, "Lumsden remains a man apart on the American scene, today, unsung by the critical establishment but regarded with great respect by those who have a longer aim in view."
Leon Whiteson, architectural critic, wrote in an article for the Los Angeles Times, "The Los Angeles architect with the longest track record and most respected reputation in the design of public projects is Anthony Lumsden".
Further reading
- Jencks, C. (1988) Architecture Today ISBN 978-0810918832
- Images Publishing (1997) A J Lumsden Masters of Architecture Series ISBN 978-1875498567
- Heyer, Paul (2008) American Architecture ISBN 978-0471285298
- Sky, Alison (1983) Unbuilt AmericaUnbuilt AmericaUnbuilt America: Forgotten Architecture in the United States from Thomas Jefferson to the space age is a 1976 book by Alison Sky and Michelle Stone. The book describes and shows plans of buildings and monuments, that were planned but never built, throughout the first two centuries of the history of...
ISBN 978-0896593411 - Slert, N. and Harter, J. Photographic Consultants: Julius Shulman and Marvin Rand, "12 Los Angeles Architects" 1978, Cal Poly Pomona