Louis Albert McMillen (October 24, 1916 – May 4, 1998) was an American architect who was one of the original founding partners of The Architects Collaborative with Walter Gropius and six other architects. McMillen was part of TAC from its founding in 1945 until its demise in 1995.

Career

McMillen attended

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

School of Architecture in 1940 and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Soon afterward, he attended

Harvard Graduate School of Design The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban ...

from 1941 to 1945 and was given a Bachelor of Architecture. From 1942-1945, he served as lieutenant in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Following his discharge from the military, he was employed by an architectural firm Brown, Lawford + Forbes for only 5 months, and later in that same year he joined several of his Yale and Harvard classmates to form TAC with Gropius. For the fifty-year lifespan of TAC, he played an important part in the collaborative process.

Personal life

From birth until age 8, McMillen lived in Brazil then moved to New York City where his mother—Drury McMillen—founded an interior desig
firm
that continues to operate today. After graduating from St. George's prep school in 1935, he entered the Yale University School of Architecture. In 1937 he bought a Ford Model A Special from his friend Frank Griswold and began competing in events in the Automobile Racing Club of America.

Death

In 1998, McMillen suffered a massive

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

and died on May 4 at the age of 81.

References

*"The Architects Collaborative, 1945-1965", Arthur Niggli Ltd., Teufen, AR, 1966. *Obituary: "Louis A. McMillen, at 81; Was an international architect", May 9, 1998, The Boston Globe. *"American Road Racing - The 1930s", Joel E. Finn, Garnet Hill Publishing, 1995, {{DEFAULTSORT:McMillen, Louis A. 1916 births 1998 deaths Yale University alumni Harvard University alumni 20th-century American architects