Henry Leveke Kamphoefner (1907 – February 14, 1990) was a champion of Modernist architecture and is most well known for bringing modern architecture

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...

 to the southern United States and North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 in particular, as the first Dean of the School (now College) 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...

.

Biography

Henry Leveke Kamphoefner was born in Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...

 in 1907. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science degree in architecture in 1930. In 1931, he received a Master of Science degree in architecture from Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

, and in 1932, received a Certificate of Architecture from the Beaux Arts Institute of Design in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

From 1932 until 1936, Kamphoefner practiced architecture privately. In 1936 and 1937, he worked for the Rural Resettlement Administration in Washington, D.C. as an associate architect. In 1937, he became a professor of architecture at the University of Oklahoma

University of Oklahoma

The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...

, working there until 1948. During the summers of 1938, 1939, and 1941, Kamphoefner also was employed as an architect for the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

. His 1938 Oleson Park Music Pavilion

Oleson Park Music Pavilion

Also known as Karl King Bandshell, the Oleson Park Music Pavilion was built out of concrete in a Modernist style with Art Deco overtones, designed by Henry L. Kamphoefner. The pavilion is associated with Karl King, a famed composer for concert and military bands....

 in Fort Dodge, Iowa

Fort Dodge, Iowa

Fort Dodge is a city and county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 25,206 in the 2010 census, an increase from 25,136 in the 2000 census. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Central and Northwest Iowa. It is located on U.S...

 is on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

. Kamphoefner was also a visiting professor at the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 during the summer of 1947.

In 1948, Kamphoefner became the first dean of the North Carolina State College School of Design. When he moved to North Carolina State College, he brought several colleagues and students from the University of Oklahoma with him, including George Matsumoto

George Matsumoto

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...

 and Terry Waugh. He created strict admissions policies and instituted a distinguished visitors program, which brought in architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...

 to lecture at the school. Kamphoefner was a modernist architect and so were his colleagues. He encouraged them to build modernist style houses in the Raleigh

Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

 area, in order to create interest in the community in having their own modernist houses. Kamphoefner's own house, the Henry L. Kamphoefner House

Henry L. Kamphoefner House

The Henry L. Kamphoefner House was the first Modernist house built in Raleigh, North Carolina. During the mid-20th century, faculty members from the School of Design located at North Carolina State College designed and built several modernist houses in Raleigh for themselves, other faculty, and a...

 in Raleigh, N.C., was one of the residences he designed. Other well known buildings designed by Kamphoefner include 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. and the McEvare Residence in Southern Pines, N.C. Kamphoefner remained as the dean at the School of Design until 1973, when he retired and was named dean emeritus

Emeritus

Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...

. He continued teaching until 1979. From 1979-1981, he served as a distinguished visiting professor at Meredith College

Meredith College

Meredith College is a liberal arts women's college located in Raleigh, North Carolina. For the 2010-2011 academic year, there were approximately 2,300 students enrolled, including about 350 graduate students, making Meredith the largest women's college in the southeastern United States...

 in Raleigh, N.C.

Kamphoefner received several awards and honors for his professional work, including an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Morningside College (1967); an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Ball State University

Ball State University

Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...

 (1972); an award in Joint Achievement for Lasting Achievement in Architectural Education (1977); and a North Carolina Award for Achievement in the Fine Arts (1978). His 1934 building, the Grandview Music Pavilion in Sioux City, Iowa, was selected by the Royal Institute of British Architects

Royal Institute of British Architects

The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...

as one of "America's Outstanding Buildings of the Post-War Period."

Henry Kamphoefner died in Raleigh, N.C. on February 14, 1990.

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