James Rossant

James Stephan Rossant (August 17, 1928 – December 15, 2009) was an American architect, artist, and professor of architecture.



A long-time Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, he is best known for his master plan of Reston, Virginia, the Lower Manhattan Plan, and the UN-sponsored master plan for Dodoma, Tanzania. He was a partner of the architectural firm Conklin & Rossant and principal of James Rossant Architects.

Early life

Born in New York City, Rossant grew up in the Bronx, where he attended the Bronx High School of Science. Rossant's brother was journalist Murray Rossant. He studied architecture at Columbia University, the University of Florida, and Harvard University's Graduate School of Design (under Walter Gropius).

Career

Architecture

After the war, he worked in Italy with Gino Valle (designer of the Cifra 3 clock). In 1957, Rossant joined Mayer & Whittlesey as architect and town planner. His first large design project was the Butterfield House apartment house in Greenwich Village (1962). He also worked on the Lower Manhattan Plan. For Whittlesey & Conklin, he developed the master plan for Reston, Virginia.

For Conklin & Rossant, his work included the Crystal Bridge of the Myriad Botanical Gardens (Oklahoma City), the Ramaz School (New York City), Two Charles Center (Baltimore), and the U.S. Navy Memorial at Market Square (Washington, DC).

For 3R Architects, his work included Tanzania's new capital at Dodoma under the sponsorship of the United Nations. He served on New York City's Public Design Commission (formerly the Art Commission of the City of New York). On November 2, 1971, Rossant appeared with Ada Louise Huxtable on the television show ''Firing Line'' on discuss "Why Aren't Good Buildings Being Built?" He appeared posthumously from television clips and his wife in interviews as part of Rebekah Wingert-Jabi's 2015 documentary ''Another Way of Living: The Story of Reston, VA''.

Artwork

Rossant painted all his life and exhibited frequently (last in Paris, 2009). His sculpture includes work publicly accessible on Washington Plaza along Lake Anne in Reston. He published ''Cities in the Sky'' in 2009, based on one of his longest series of architectural paintings. He also illustrated several cookbooks by his wife.

Teaching

Rossant taught architecture at the Pratt Institute (1970–2005) and Urban Design at New York University's School of Public Administration (1975–1983). As lecturer, he visited the National University of Singapore, the American University of Beirut, Harvard University, the University of Virginia, and Columbia University.

Personal life and death

Rossant married Colette Palacci while serving in the army in Europe; the couple moved back the US in the mid-1950s. The couple had four children.

He died at Germonville, Condeau, in the Orne, Lower Normandy, from complications of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Rossant was survived by his wife Colette Rossant (food critic, cookbook author, memoirist); children Marianne (educator), Juliette (author and journalist), Cecile (author and architect), and Tomas (architect); and eight grandchildren.

Works

James Rossant wrote a memoir which he published privately and shared with members of his family.

Writings:
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* Articles (various)

Drawings:
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See also

* Reston
* Dodoma
* Walter Gropius
* Rossant (surname)
* Colette Rossant

References

External links

JamesRossant.com

AIA
New York Chapter

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossant, James
20th-century American architects
20th-century American Jews
Jewish architects
Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation alumni
Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni
1928 births
2009 deaths
Deaths from leukemia in France
21st-century American Jews