Werner Seligmann
Encyclopedia
Werner Seligmann was an architect, urban designer, and educator.
He was born on March 30, 1930 in Germany
. His father was a violinist; Seligmann inherited a lifelong taste for music and the arts in general. He family spent much of their life in Braunswieg Germany, until they were captured by the Nazis. The family was separated and Seligmann spent the latter part of the Second World War in a concentration camp. Unfortunately, his mother and sister never returned from the camps. After the camp guards abandoned their posts he was picked up by American troops, and ultimately reunited with his father, in Holland. From there he was sent to the US to live with relatives, in Groton, in upstate New York, a short distance from Cornell University
in Ithaca
.
Seligmann received his B. Arch. degree from Cornell in 1955 and went on to do graduate study at the Technische Hochsschule in Braunschwieg, Germany in 1958-59. From there he returned to the US and taught as an Instructor at the University of Texas at Austin from 1956-58. It was there that he became part of a small group of faculty that was later nicknamed The Texas Rangers, a group that included Colin Rowe
, John Shaw, Robert Slutzky and John Hejduk
. After this group was dismissed from Austin Seligmann returned to Europe, where he taught as an Assistant at the Eidgenossiche Technische Hochschule (the ETH
), in Zurich
, Switzerland
from 1959-61. From 1961-74, he was an Associate Professor of Architecture at Cornell and an Associate Professor of Architecture at Harvard University
. From 1976-1990 he was Dean and Professor of Architecture at Syracuse University
. He was subsequently made Distinguished Professor of Architecture at Syracuse University. From 1990 to 1994 he was a Professor of Architecture at the ETH
in Zurich.
In 1998 he was awarded The Topaz Award in Architectural Education jointly from the ACSA
and the AIA
, their highest award for an architectural educator.
Selgmann was named a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome (FAAR) in 1981. In 1994 he was Thomas Jefferson Visiting Professor at the University of Virginia
, and held many visiting appointments in the US and abroad, including the ETH in Zurich, Kanto Gakuin University in Japan, Yale University, Harvard University, and Cornell University. In addition to serving as visiting critic, Seligmann wrote and lectured extensively on the works of Frank Lloyd Wright
, Le Corbusier
, and other architects and issues.
Throughout his teaching career he maintained a practice and entered many competitions, including the invited competition, “Topography of Terror”, for Berlin, Germany in 1993. His firm, Werner Seligmann and Associates, Architects and Urban Designers, was based in Cortland, New York. Launched in 1961, the firm placed in national and international competitions and work of the firm was exhibited often both in the US and abroad.
The architectural work of Werner Seligmann won two Progressive Architecture Design Awards, was illustrated on the cover of PA three times and was placed, or won, several national and international design competitions. Seligmann's work on developing housing prototypes for the New York State Urban Development Corporation in the 1970s and 1980s established his reputation in the area of housing. The Ithaca Scattered Site Housing Project (now known as Elm Street and Maple Ave) were widely exhibited and published and are included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. Beth David Synagogue in Binghamton NY (1963) was often seen as a significant synthesis of Wright and Le Corbusier although derived from a Corbusian precedent.
Seligmann also published numerous articles on the work of Frank Lloyd Wright
, Le Corbusier
, and modern architecture in general.
He was born on March 30, 1930 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. His father was a violinist; Seligmann inherited a lifelong taste for music and the arts in general. He family spent much of their life in Braunswieg Germany, until they were captured by the Nazis. The family was separated and Seligmann spent the latter part of the Second World War in a concentration camp. Unfortunately, his mother and sister never returned from the camps. After the camp guards abandoned their posts he was picked up by American troops, and ultimately reunited with his father, in Holland. From there he was sent to the US to live with relatives, in Groton, in upstate New York, a short distance from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in Ithaca
Ithaca
Ithaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and...
.
Seligmann received his B. Arch. degree from Cornell in 1955 and went on to do graduate study at the Technische Hochsschule in Braunschwieg, Germany in 1958-59. From there he returned to the US and taught as an Instructor at the University of Texas at Austin from 1956-58. It was there that he became part of a small group of faculty that was later nicknamed The Texas Rangers, a group that included Colin Rowe
Colin Rowe
Colin Rowe , was a British-born, American-naturalised architectural historian, critic, theoretician, and teacher; acknowledged as a major intellectual influence on world architecture and urbanism in the second half of the twentieth century and beyond, particularly in the fields of city planning,...
, John Shaw, Robert Slutzky and John Hejduk
John Hejduk
John Quentin Hejduk , was an American architect, artist and educator who spent much of his life in New York City, USA...
. After this group was dismissed from Austin Seligmann returned to Europe, where he taught as an Assistant at the Eidgenossiche Technische Hochschule (the ETH
Eth
Eth is a letter used in Old English, Icelandic, Faroese , and Elfdalian. It was also used in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages, but was subsequently replaced with dh and later d. The capital eth resembles a D with a line through the vertical stroke...
), in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
from 1959-61. From 1961-74, he was an Associate Professor of Architecture at Cornell and an Associate Professor of Architecture at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. From 1976-1990 he was Dean and Professor of Architecture at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. He was subsequently made Distinguished Professor of Architecture at Syracuse University. From 1990 to 1994 he was a Professor of Architecture at the ETH
Eth
Eth is a letter used in Old English, Icelandic, Faroese , and Elfdalian. It was also used in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages, but was subsequently replaced with dh and later d. The capital eth resembles a D with a line through the vertical stroke...
in Zurich.
In 1998 he was awarded The Topaz Award in Architectural Education jointly from the ACSA
Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture is a 501 nonprofit, membership association founded in 1912 to advance the quality of architectural education in the United States and abroad....
and the AIA
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...
, their highest award for an architectural educator.
Selgmann was named a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome (FAAR) in 1981. In 1994 he was Thomas Jefferson Visiting Professor at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, and held many visiting appointments in the US and abroad, including the ETH in Zurich, Kanto Gakuin University in Japan, Yale University, Harvard University, and Cornell University. In addition to serving as visiting critic, Seligmann wrote and lectured extensively on the works of 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...
, Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
, and other architects and issues.
Throughout his teaching career he maintained a practice and entered many competitions, including the invited competition, “Topography of Terror”, for Berlin, Germany in 1993. His firm, Werner Seligmann and Associates, Architects and Urban Designers, was based in Cortland, New York. Launched in 1961, the firm placed in national and international competitions and work of the firm was exhibited often both in the US and abroad.
The architectural work of Werner Seligmann won two Progressive Architecture Design Awards, was illustrated on the cover of PA three times and was placed, or won, several national and international design competitions. Seligmann's work on developing housing prototypes for the New York State Urban Development Corporation in the 1970s and 1980s established his reputation in the area of housing. The Ithaca Scattered Site Housing Project (now known as Elm Street and Maple Ave) were widely exhibited and published and are included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. Beth David Synagogue in Binghamton NY (1963) was often seen as a significant synthesis of Wright and Le Corbusier although derived from a Corbusian precedent.
Seligmann also published numerous articles on the work of 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...
, Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
, and modern architecture in general.
External links
- Syracuse University Page The Seligmann Index, includes information on the Topaz Medallion, including Seligmann's acceptance address, Curriculum Vitae, list of publications, academic positions, and a complete listing of architectural works
- Syracuse School of Architecture Page