George Matsumoto
Encyclopedia
George Matsumoto is an American architect and educator who is known for his Modernist
designs.
George Matsumoto was born in 1922 in San Francisco, California. He attended the University of
California at Berkeley in architecture, but due to his internment during World War II as were other Japanese-Americans, Matsumoto completed his undergraduate education at Washington University in Saint Louis. He earned his graduate degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, studying under Eliel Saarinen.
Completing his graduate studies in 1945, Matsumoto joined the firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill in
Chicago and in 1946, joined the firm of Saarinen and Swanson. While with Saarinen and Swanson, he,
along with Terry Waugh and David Greer, won the "Better Chicago Contest" with a cash prize of $10,000.
Their winning entry was a comprehensive regional plan for greater Chicago.
Following a year of private practice in Kansas City, Missouri, Matsumoto joined the department of
architecture at the University of Oklahoma as an instructor. A year later, he moved with the head of
the school of architecture, Henry L. Kamphoefner
, to the new School of Design at North Carolina State University
.
Kamphoefner was appointed as the first dean of the School of Design and he brought with him
several students and faculty from the University of Oklahoma. During his tenure at the School of Design Matsumoto won over thirty awards for his housing designs and his achievements were published
internationally. Some of his most well-known and acclaimed designs in North Carolina include the George W. Poland residence in Raleigh, N.C., the Matsumoto Residence, also in Raleigh, N.C., the E.M. Lipman Residence in Richmond, V.A., the Milton Julian Residence in Chapel Hill, N.C., the J.Gregory Poole Resident in Raleigh, N.C., which he designed with G. Milton Small, Jr., the Ritcher House
in Raleigh, N.C., which he designed with Kamphoefner, and the E.K. Thrower Residence in Sedgefield
(Greensboro), N.C. His houses are notable for their simplicity, rigor and residential interpretation of the International Style
.
After leaving the School of Design in 1961, Matsumoto returned to California to teach at the University of California at Berkeley and later opened a successful practice that did work in commercial, educational and recreational work, as well as campus and community planning. He was elected a fellow of the American Institute of Architects
in 1973.
Currently, Matsumoto is retired and living in Oakland, California.
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
designs.
George Matsumoto was born in 1922 in San Francisco, California. He attended the University of
California at Berkeley in architecture, but due to his internment during World War II as were other Japanese-Americans, Matsumoto completed his undergraduate education at Washington University in Saint Louis. He earned his graduate degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, studying under Eliel Saarinen.
Completing his graduate studies in 1945, Matsumoto joined the firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill in
Chicago and in 1946, joined the firm of Saarinen and Swanson. While with Saarinen and Swanson, he,
along with Terry Waugh and David Greer, won the "Better Chicago Contest" with a cash prize of $10,000.
Their winning entry was a comprehensive regional plan for greater Chicago.
Following a year of private practice in Kansas City, Missouri, Matsumoto joined the department of
architecture at the University of Oklahoma as an instructor. A year later, he moved with the head of
the school of architecture, Henry L. Kamphoefner
Henry L. Kamphoefner
Henry Leveke Kamphoefner was a champion of Modernist architecture and is most well known for bringing modern architecture to the southern United States and North Carolina in particular, as the first Dean of the School of Design at North Carolina State University.- Biography :Henry Leveke...
, to the new School of Design at North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
.
Kamphoefner was appointed as the first dean of the School of Design and he brought with him
several students and faculty from the University of Oklahoma. During his tenure at the School of Design Matsumoto won over thirty awards for his housing designs and his achievements were published
internationally. Some of his most well-known and acclaimed designs in North Carolina include the George W. Poland residence in Raleigh, N.C., the Matsumoto Residence, also in Raleigh, N.C., the E.M. Lipman Residence in Richmond, V.A., the Milton Julian Residence in Chapel Hill, N.C., the J.Gregory Poole Resident in Raleigh, N.C., which he designed with G. Milton Small, Jr., the Ritcher House
Ritcher House
The Ritcher House is considered to be one of the best examples of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian mode of design in North Carolina. Located near downtown Raleigh, the house is one of many Modernist houses that were built in the city during the mid-20th century. Most of these homes were designed by...
in Raleigh, N.C., which he designed with Kamphoefner, and the E.K. Thrower Residence in Sedgefield
(Greensboro), N.C. His houses are notable for their simplicity, rigor and residential interpretation of the International Style
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
.
After leaving the School of Design in 1961, Matsumoto returned to California to teach at the University of California at Berkeley and later opened a successful practice that did work in commercial, educational and recreational work, as well as campus and community planning. He was elected a fellow of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
in 1973.
Currently, Matsumoto is retired and living in Oakland, California.