Pierre Francis Koenig (October 17, 1925 – April 4, 2004) was an American architect and a Professor of Architecture at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

. He taught at the USC School of Architecture from 1964 until his death in 2004. He was the director of the undergraduate building science program from 1980 to 2004. He lectured widely at other universities, and received more than 20 awards for his work. The architecture of Pierre Koenig was the subject of the book "Pierre Koenig" written by James Steele in 1998. Also in 1998, Koenig was elevated to "Distinguished Professor" after 35 years on the USC faculty. He received the USC Distinguished Alumni Award and the Gold Medal from the Los Angeles chapter of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) 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 su ...

Early life

The son of a salesman, Koenig was born in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. The family moved to Southern California in 1939.Pierre Koenig, Architect, 78, In Los Angeles
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', April 7, 2004. After returning from a four-year tour in the Army during World War II, he enrolled in architecture school. He received his Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) degree from USC in 1952.

Career

Koenig worked with

Raphael Soriano Raphael S. Soriano, FAIA, (August 1, 1904 – July 21, 1988) was an architect and educator, who helped define a period of 20th-century architecture that came to be known as Mid-century modern. He pioneered the use of modular prefabricated ...

and

Edward H. Fickett Edward Hale Fickett, FAIA, (May 19, 1916 – May 21, 1999 in Los Angeles) was an American architect who was a consultant to federal and local governments in the United States and to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. __TOC__ Biography A fourth gene ...

among others, and began private practice in 1952. Koenig practiced mainly on the West Coast and was most notable for the design of the

Case Study Houses The Case Study Houses were experiments in American residential architecture sponsored by '' Arts & Architecture'' magazine, which commissioned major architects of the day, including Richard Neutra, Raphael Soriano, Craig Ellwood, Charles and Ray ...

No. 21 and 22 in 1960. Both 21 (the Bailey House) and 22 (the Stahl House) were constructed on dramatic, otherwise-unbuildable sites. Particularly the Case Study House #22, photographed by

Julius Shulman Julius Shulman (October 10, 1910 – July 15, 2009) was an American architectural photographer best known for his photograph " Case Study House #22, Los Angeles, 1960. Pierre Koenig, Architect." The house is also known as the Stahl House. Shulm ...

, is widely considered the iconic postwar L.A. home, with its sweeping city views and openness to the outdoors.Eryn Brown (August 4, 2005)
A Modern dream come true
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

''. At USC, Koenig led the undergraduate building science program and directed the Natural Forces Laboratory. The Building Science group at USC also included Ralph Lewis Knowles, Douglas E. Noble, Marc Schiler, Karen M. Kensek, Goetz Schierle, David Brindle, and Konrad Wachsmann. Koenig died of leukemia in 2004 at 78. He was survived by his wife, Gloria; sons, Randall and Jean Pierre; and two stepsons, Barry and Thomas Kaufman. In 2007, Koenig's Case Study House #21 sold at auction for $3.1 million.Stacie Stukin (October 7, 2007)
Safe Houses
'' T: The New York Times Style Magazine''.

References

External links

Pierre Koenig's web site
* Finding aid for Pierre Koenig drawings and papers Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles. Accession No. 2006.M.30. {{DEFAULTSORT:Koenig, Pierre Modernist architects from the United States 1925 births 2004 deaths USC School of Architecture alumni Architects from Los Angeles Architects from San Francisco 20th-century American architects