Allan Greenberg
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Allan Greenberg (born September 7, 1938) is an American architect and one of the leading classical architects of the twenty-first century, also known as
New Classical Architecture New Classical architecture, also known as New Classicism or Contemporary Classical architecture, is a Contemporary architecture, contemporary movement that builds upon the principles of Classical architecture. It is sometimes considered the mode ...
. He was the originator and leading practitioner of "canonical classicism," one of many design responses to
postmodernism Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, Culture, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting ...
emerging in the mid-1970s. According to
Paul Goldberger Paul Goldberger (born December 4, 1950)Brennan, Elizabeth A.; Clarage, Elizabeth C''Who's who of Pulitzer Prize winners'' Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999. Cfp.87on Paul Goldberger
, architecture critic for ''The New York Times'', Greenberg's “life’s work has been a mission to establish the validity of classicism as an architectural language in our time.” In addition to his architecture, Greenberg’s articles, teaching, and lectures have exerted a strong influence on the study and practice of contemporary classicism. In 2006, he was the first American to be awarded the Richard H. Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture in recognition of his major contributions to architectural design and scholarship. The prize is awarded annually "to a living architect whose work embodies the principles of traditional and classical architecture and urbanism in contemporary society and creates a positive, long-lasting cultural, environmental, and artistic impact." George Hersey, author and professor of Art History at Yale University, wrote:
''Greenberg is the most knowing, most serious practitioner of Classicism currently on the scene in this country. . . . Greenberg belongs in the succession of
Charles Follen McKim Charles Follen McKim (August 24, 1847 – September 14, 1909) was an American Beaux-Arts architect of the late 19th century. Along with William Rutherford Mead and Stanford White, he provided the architectural expertise as a member of the par ...
,
Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the ''Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been "the most successful power broker the American archi ...
,
Henry Bacon Henry Bacon (November 28, 1866February 16, 1924) was an American Beaux-Arts architect who oversaw the engineering and design of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., built between 1915 and 1922, which was his final project before his 1924 ...
,
John Russell Pope John Russell Pope (April 24, 1874 – August 27, 1937) was an American architecture, architect whose firm is widely known for designing major public buildings, including the National Archives and Records Administration building (completed in 193 ...
, and
Arthur Brown Arthur Brown may refer to: Entertainment * Arthur William Brown (1881–1966), Canadian commercial artist * H. Arthur Brown (1906–1992), American orchestral conductor * Arthur Brown (musician) (born 1942), English rock singer * Arthur Brown, ...
. And above all he belongs to the succession of Greece and Rome, of
Vignola Vignola (; Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese: ; Bolognese dialect, Bolognese: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Modena (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. Its economy is based on agriculture, especially fruit farming, but there are also mecha ...
and Sanmicheli, of Vanvitelli, Ledoux, and Labrouste, to the visionary company of those who play the great game of Classicism.''


Biography and career

Born in
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, Greenberg was educated at the
University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...
, where he studied classical, Gothic, and modern architecture. He attributes his thorough grounding in architectural history to the rigors of his study there. Professors required students to memorize and draw the plans of famous buildings at will. Following a short working career in South Africa, Greenberg moved to London with the intention of studying there, and briefly considered taking a job with
Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , ; ), was a Swiss-French architectural designer, painter, urban planner and writer, who was one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture ...
. After a short stay in England he left for Denmark to work in the studio of the leading Scandinavian modernist architect
Jørn Utzon Jørn Oberg Utzon (; 9 April 191829 November 2008) was a Danish architect. In 1957, he won an international design competition for his design of the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Utzon's revised design, which he completed in 1961, was the b ...
during the design of the Sydney Opera House. He subsequently took a job in Helsinki with Viljo Revell, perhaps the best known Finnish architect after
Alvar Aalto Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, see ...
, whom Greenberg admired greatly. In 1963, the architect moved his Danish wife and young family to America. He was admitted to the demanding architecture program at Yale, headed by the Brutalist architect Paul Marvin Rudolph. Like fellow foreign students
Norman Foster Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank (born 1 June 1935) is an English architect. Closely associated with the development of high-tech architecture, Lord Foster is recognised as a key figure in British modernist architecture. Hi ...
and
Richard Rogers Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside (23 July 1933 – 18 December 2021) was a British-Italian architect noted for his modernist and constructivist designs in high-tech architecture. He was the founder at Rogers Stirk Harbour + ...
, Greenberg sought a fresh approach to Modernism in a country that was advancing faster than Europe in technology and architectural theory. After receiving his Master of Architecture degree from Yale University in 1965, he spent two years in the City of New Haven’s Redevelopment Agency and later served as Architectural Consultant to Connecticut’s Chief Justice from 1967 to 1979. He taught at Yale under deans Charles W. Moore and Herman Spiegel, watching the student upheavals of the late 1960s, and helped to develop the school's undergraduate major in architecture. It was during the early 1970s that Greenberg became disillusioned with orthodox Modernism, turning instead to postmodernist critiques offered by Yale colleagues
Robert Venturi Robert Charles Venturi Jr. (June 25, 1925 – September 18, 2018) was an American architect, founding principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates. Together with his wife and partner, Denise Scott Brown, he helped shape the way that ...
and
Denise Scott Brown Denise Scott Brown (née Lakofski; born October 3, 1931) is an American architect, planner, writer, educator, and principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates in Philadelphia. Early life and education Born to Jewish parents Simon a ...
. Greenberg's work in the mid-1970s was influenced both by the American "grays" (Moore, Venturi, Robert A.M. Stern, ''et al.'') with whom he became associated, and by modern classicists such as
Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...
and Mott B. Schmidt. But as he came to better understand the achievements of these 20th-century masters, he increasingly pushed his work toward a more traditional vocabulary. His breakthrough projects came in the early 1980s with his design of a large country house for Peter and Sandra Brant in Greenwich, Connecticut (a commission wrested from Venturi), and
George Shultz George Pratt Shultz ( ; December 13, 1920February 6, 2021) was an American economist, businessman, diplomat and statesman. He served in various positions under two different Republican presidents and is one of the only two persons to have held f ...
's extensive classical suite at the State Department in Washington, D.C. After their publication Greenberg's office flourished, and many students interested in traditional design came to New Haven to work with him. No architect in America has had a more profound influence on the younger generation of traditional architects who are practicing today. Greenberg has also taught at the University of Pennsylvania, the Division of Historic Preservation at Columbia University, and the University of Notre Dame. Greenberg received his U.S. citizenship in 1973. He is married to the painte
Judith Seligson
his second wife. Allan Greenberg, Architect, LLC was established in 1972 and had offices in Alexandria, Virginia and New York City before Greenberg retired in 2021. The firm's work covered a broad range of buildings in the United States and overseas. Projects included master plans, feasibility studies, new construction, renovations, restorations, and interior and furniture design for academic, institutional, religious, commercial, residential, and retail clients. Greenberg wrote both scholarly and popular books and articles on the dynamic and enduring qualities of traditional architecture and design. His extensive body of published work includes the book
''George Washington, Architect'' (1999)''The Architecture of Democracy: American Architecture and the Legacy of the Revolution'' (2006)
an
''Lutyens and the Modern Movement'' (2007)

monograph
of his work appeared in 1995. More recently, a monograp
"Allan Greenberg: Classical Architect"
was published by Rizzoli in 2013.


Major projects

* State Library and Supreme Court Building, addition (in association with Russell Gibson von Dohlen, Hartford, Connecticut, 1970) *Superior Court Building (Manchester, Connecticut, 1979–1980) *
Bergdorf Goodman Building The Bergdorf Goodman Building is a department store building at 754 Fifth Avenue between 57th Street (Manhattan), 57th and 58th streets in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building, designed by Albert Buchman and Ely Jacques Kahn, was ere ...
, new façade (New York, New York, 1983–1984) *Treaty Ceremony Room, Antechambers, and Reception Rooms, United States Department of State (Washington D.C., 1985–1986) * Offices of the Secretary of State, United States Department of State (Washington D.C., 1987–89) * The News Building (Athens, Georgia, 1988–1992) *J. Wilson Newman Pavilion, The Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia, 1988–1990) *Tercentenary Hall (now McGlothlin-Street Hall),
College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public university, public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III of England, William III and Queen ...
(Williamsburg, Virginia, 1989–1995) *Gore Hall,
University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...
(Newark, Delaware, 1995–1998) *Tommy Hilfiger Flagship Store (now
Brooks Brothers Brooks Brothers Inc. is an American clothing brand founded in 1818 which is the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in the United States. Originally a family business, it is currently owned as a joint venture between Authentic Brands G ...
) (Beverly Hills, California, 1995–1997) *Unicorn Mining Headquarters (London, Kentucky, 1997–1999) * Humanities Building, Rice University (Houston, Texas, 1997–2000) *
Supreme Court Historical Society The Supreme Court Historical Society (SCHS) describes itself as "a Washington, D.C.–based private, nonpartisan, not for profit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to preserving and communicating the history of the U.S. Supreme Court, in ...
, renovation (Washington, D.C., 1998–1999) *DuPont Hall,
University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...
(Newark, Delaware, 1998–2002) *Aaron Burr Hall,
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
(Princeton, New Jersey, 2003–2005)


Selected bibliography


"A Classical Touch for an Unruly Façade.” ''New York Times'' (Nov. 6, 2006).Clarke, Gerald. “Design Dialogue.” ''Architectural Digest'' (July 2010): 132-39.Clarke, Gerald. “In the Georgian Fashion.” ''Architectural Digest'' (October 2009): 132-39.
*Conroy, S. Claire. “At Home with the Past: Allan Greenberg Makes the Familiar Fresh Again.” ''Residential Architect'' (September/October 2002): 56-67. *Gagné, Nicole V. “Allan Greenberg.” ''Traditional Building'' 17:5 (September/October 2004): 16. *Goldberger, Paul. “In Perpetuum.” ''Architectural Record'' 174 (April 1986): 110-21. *Langdon, Philip. “Modern Classics: Allan Greenberg’s Houses Reflect the Revival of the Classical Tradition.” ''The Atlantic'' 265.1 (January 1990): 86+. *Lubow, Arthur. “The Ionic Man.” ''Departures'' No. 57 (May/June 1999): 156-63, 220. *Reiss, Gwen North. “A Class Act.” ''Connecticut Cottages & Gardens'' (January 2007).
Rybczynski, Witold. “Something Old, Something New: A Prize-Winning Architect at Princeton.” ''Slate Magazine'' (Feb. 1, 2006).
*Schmertz, M. F. “Design for Diplomacy.” ''Architectural Record'' 173 No. 12 (1985): 152-59. *Ward, Logan. “Old Town Revival.” ''Southern Accents'' (Sept.-Oct. 2005): 94-100. *Westfall, C. W. “Allan Greenberg and the Difficult Whole of Architecture.” In ''Allan Greenberg, Selected Works'', 6-10. London: Academy Editions, 1995.


References


External links


Allan Greenberg, Architect, LLC

Official site of the Richard H. Driehaus Prize

About Allan , Allan Greenberg Architect
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenberg, Allan Living people 1938 births New Classical architects Driehaus Architecture Prize winners 21st-century American architects Yale School of Architecture alumni 20th-century South African architects American neoclassical architects