Eamonn Kevin Roche (June 14, 1922 – March 1, 2019) was an Irish-born American Pritzker Prize-winning architect. Kevin Roche was the

archetypal The concept of an archetype ( ) appears in areas relating to behavior, History of psychology#Emergence of German experimental psychology, historical psychology, philosophy and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a stat ...

modernist and "member of an elite group of third generation modernist architects — James Stirling, Jorn Utzon, and Robert Venturi — and is considered to be ''the'' most logical and systematic designer of the group. He and his partner John Dinkeloo of the firm KRJDA produced over a half-century of matchless creativity." Roche and Dinkeloo were responsible for the design/master planning of over 200 built projects in both the U.S. and abroad. These projects include 8 museums, 38 corporate headquarters, 7 research facilities,

performing arts center Performing arts center/centre (see spelling differences), often abbreviated as PAC, is usually a complex housing performance spaces for various performing arts, including dance, music, and theatre. In some cases it refers to a single multi-use s ...

s, theaters, and campus buildings for six universities. In 1967 he created the master plan for the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

and thereafter designed all of the new wings and installation of many collections, including the reopened American and Islamic wings. Born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

and a graduate from University College Dublin, Roche went to the United States to study with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe at the

Illinois Institute of Technology The Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Illinois Tech and IIT, is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the m ...

. In the U.S., he became the principal designer for Eero Saarinen and opened his own architectural firm in 1967. Among other awards, Roche received the Pritzker in 1982, the Gold Medal Award from the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

in 1990, and the AIA Gold Medal in 1993.

Biography

Early life

Roche was born in

Dublin, Ireland Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, during one of the most tumultuous periods in Irish history: the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

. Eamon Roche, Kevin's father, had been jailed twice for "revolutionary activities". Kevin was born during his father's second imprisonment. After Eamon was released from prison, he moved his family far away from war-torn Dublin to the pastoral hamlet of Mitchelstown in southwestern

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Situated at the foothills of the Galtee Mountain Range, Roche's upbringing was anything but typical. It was forged by Eamon's keen managerial oversight of the Mitchelstown Dairy Co-operative in which Kevin worked alongside his father as dairy farmers. Eamon Roche successfully annexed all the surrounding dairy cooperatives, forging them into the largest in southwest Ireland. Later, the creamery was bought out by KerryGold Creamery. Roche's life-changing moment came when his father asked him to design a warehouse to store the cheese that the dairy farms produced. Seeing his natural abilities unfold, Eamon enrolled the young Roche in a secondary school in

Cashel, County Tipperary Cashel (; ) is a town in County Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,422 in the 2016 census of Ireland, 2016 census. The town gives its name to the ecclesiastical province of ''Cashel''. Additionally, the ''cathedra'' of the Roman Cathol ...

called Rockwell College. It is a well-known school in Ireland where

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...

, one of the Republic of Ireland's founding fathers, once taught mathematics. While Roche attended Rockwell College, his interest in architecture came about after reading a book by the English architect

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English polymath a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, Critique of politic ...

, '' The Seven Lamps of Architecture''. He recalled that the book "was not the easiest to read but was very interesting".

University and early career

In 1940, Kevin returned to

to continue his interest in architecture at University College of Dublin, or UCD. His first architectural drawing was of a pig enclosure composed of concrete blocks. Though initially trained in German Beaux Arts, this gave way to modernism and post-modernism interests. After graduating from UCD in 1945, Roche made the circuit with practically every well-known modernist of architecture: Michael Scott in Dublin from 1945 to 1946, Maxwell Fry in London from summer to fall of 1946, then Mies van der Rohe and Ludwig Hilberseimer at

in 1948. After less than one year at IIT, Roche did not have enough money to continue for a second year. Since he could not receive his master's degree without funds, he instead thought of putting his architectural skills to practical use. In 1949, he moved to New York City and "badgered the UN Planning Office for a job". He was hired at the planning office for the

United Nations Headquarters The headquarters of the United Nations (UN) is on of grounds in the Turtle Bay, Manhattan, Turtle Bay neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It borders First Avenue (Manhattan), First Avenue to the west, 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd ...

building in New York City. He began working on the United Nations complex at the firm of Harrison & Abramovitz and stayed on for eight months. During Christmas of 1950, he left to visit his family back in Ireland, but when he returned, his job had been eliminated. Penniless and uncertain of his future in the United States, Roche contemplated returning home to Ireland. But an architect at the UN, sympathetic to his plight, recommended he call the firm of Saarinen, Swanson, and Associates, where the 83-year-old Eliel Saarinen still practiced in

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit on the Woodward Corridor, Bloomfield Hills is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, and is ...

. The firm's famous father was complemented by the family's talent: second wife Loja, son ( Eero), and daughter ( Pipsan). The firm had said that Eero Saarinen would be going to New York to interview prospective candidates. After spending an evening at New York's famous Stork Club with a cousin from Ireland, Roche was unexpectedly called for an interview the following morning. Roche went to the interview, and as Saarinen was talking to him, Roche had fallen asleep. Roche recalls that Saarinen was still talking when he awoke, and was nonetheless hired. He moved to Michigan and began working for the firm, which had undergone a name change to be known as Eero Saarinen and Associates (ESA).

Eero Saarinen & Associates, Michigan

After his father Eliel died, Eero Saarinen moved up to assume directorship. In 1950, Roche joined the firm. His future partner, John Dinkeloo (1918-1991), joined the firm in 1951 after he had left the architectural form of

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill SOM, an initialism of its original name Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, is a Chicago-based architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings. In 1939, they were joined by engineer ...

in Chicago. They became lifelong friends and business partners. There, Roche also met his future wife, Jane Claire Tuohy, with whom he eventually had five children. In 1954, he became the Principal Design Associate to Saarinen and assisted him on all projects from that time until Saarinen's death in September 1961.

Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates

Later, Roche and Dinkeloo moved the practice to Hamden, Connecticut. Saarinen's firm morphed into Roche-Dinkeloo Associates or KRJDA. Today, the firm continues on as Roche Modern, where Roche's son, Eamon, is currently managing director. Thus, Roche and Dinkeloo laid the groundwork for the preeminent architectural firm which has been coined the "poster child architectural firm of corporate America". In 1966, Roche and Dinkeloo formed Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates and completed Saarinen's projects. They completed twelve major unfinished Saarinen builds, including some of Saarinen's best-known work: the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the expressionistic TWA Flight Center at JFK International Airport in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., the strictly modern John Deere Headquarters in

Moline, Illinois Moline ( ) is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in the 2020 census, it is the largest city in Rock Island County and the List of municipalities in Illinois, ninth-most populous in Illinois outside ...

, and the CBS Headquarters building in

. Following this, Roche and Dinkeloo's first major commission was the

Oakland Museum of California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

, a complex for the art, natural history, and cultural history of California with a design featuring interrelated terraces and roof gardens. The city was planning a monumental building to house natural history, technology, and art, and Roche provided a unique concept: a building that is a series of low-level concrete structures covering a four block area, on three levels, the terrace of each level forming the roof of the one below, i.e. a museum (in three sections) with a park on its roof. This kind of innovative solution went on to become Roche's trademark. This project was followed by the equally highly acclaimed

Ford Foundation Building The Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice (also known as 321 East 42nd Street, 320 East 43rd Street, or the Ford Foundation Building) is a 12-story office building in Midtown Manhattan, East Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Completed in ...

in New York City, considered the first large-scale architectural building in the U.S. to devote a substantial portion of its space to horticultural pursuits. Its famous atrium was designed with the notion of having urban green-space accessible to all and is an early example of the application of environmental psychology in architecture. The building was recognized in 1968 by ''

Architectural Record ''Architectural Record'' is a US-based monthly magazine dedicated to architecture and interior design. Its editor in chief is Josephine Minutillo. ''The Record'', as it is sometimes colloquially referred to, is widely-recognized as an important ...

'' as "a new kind of urban space". The acclaim that greeted the Oakland Museum and Ford Foundation earned Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates a ranking at the top of their profession. Shortly afterward they began a 40-year association with the

in New York City, for which they did extensive remodeling and built many extensions to house new galleries including the one containing the Egyptian

Temple of Dendur The Temple of Dendur (Dendoor in the 19th century) is a Roman Egyptian religious structure originally located in Tuzis (later Dendur), Nubia about south of modern Aswan. Around 23 BCE, Emperor Augustus commissioned the Egyptian temple, temple d ...

. Other high-profile commissions for the firm came from clients as varied as

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, Cummins Engines, Union Carbide, The United States Post Office, and the Knights of Columbus. In 1982, Kevin Roche became one of the first recipients of the Pritzker Prize, generally regarded as architecture's equivalent to the Nobel prize. Following this accolade, Roche's practice went global, receiving commissions for buildings in Paris, Madrid, Singapore, and Tokyo. He completed his first and only Irish project, The Convention Centre Dublin, in 2010. Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates has designed numerous corporate headquarters, office buildings, banks, museums, art centers, and even part of the Bronx Zoo. Roche served as a trustee of the American Academy in Rome, president of the

, a member of the National Academy of Design, and a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. Kevin Roche March 1989

Roche died on March 1, 2019, at his home in Guilford, Connecticut, aged 96.

Prizes and awards

The work of Kevin Roche has been the subject of special exhibitions at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

, the Architectural Association of Ireland in Dublin, and the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. A 2012 exhibition, ''Kevin Roche: Architecture as Environment,'' opened at the Yale School of Architecture in New Haven, Connecticut, and has been viewed at The Museum of the City of New York, the Building Museum in Washington, and the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. In addition to the Pritzker Prize, Roche was the recipient of numerous honors and awards including the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

Gold Medal Award, the

Gold Medal Award for Architecture, and the ''French Academie d'Architecture'' Grand Gold Medal.

Film

A feature documentary called ''Kevin Roche: The Quiet Architect'' was released in 2017. It was directed by Irish filmmaker (and former architecture student) Mark Noonan.

Buildings

*1966 –

, Oakland, California *1968 – The

, New York, New York *1969 – Administration, Student Union & Physical Education Buildings, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York *1969 – The Knights of Columbus Building Headquarters, New Haven, Connecticut *1969 – United States Post Office, Columbus, Indiana *1969 – Aetna Life and Casualty Company Computer Headquarters, Hartford, Connecticut *1971 – Power Center for the Performing Arts,

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, Ann Arbor, Michigan *1972 – Cummins Inc. Irwin Office Building Arcade, Columbus, Indiana *1972 –

New Haven Coliseum New Haven Coliseum, formally known as New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, was a sports and entertainment arena located in downtown New Haven, Connecticut. Construction began in 1968 and was completed in 1972. The Coliseum was officially closed o ...

, New Haven, Connecticut, (closed 2002, demolished 2007) *1973 – Center for the Arts,

, Middletown, Connecticut *1973 – Cummins Midrange Engine Plant, Columbus, Indiana *1974 – Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts *1974 – Worcester County National Bank, Worcester, Massachusetts *1972 – The Pyramids, College Life Insurance Company of America headquarters, Indianapolis, Indiana *1975 - One United Nations Plaza New York, New York *1978 – John Deere World Headquarters, West Office Building, Moline, Illinois *1979 – Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, Colorado *1982 – The Corporate Center, Danbury, Connecticut (originally the Union Carbide Corporate Center) *1982 – Moudy Visual Arts and Communication Building, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas *1983 – Two United Nations Plaza, New York, New York *1983 – General Foods Corporate Headquarters, Ryebrook, New York *1983 – Cummins Corporate Office Building, Columbus, Indiana *1985 – Cummins Engine Company Corporate Headquarters, Columbus, Indiana *1985 – DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, Williamsburg, Virginia *1986 – Conoco Inc. Petroleum Headquarters, Houston, Texas *1987 - Three United Nations Plaza New York, New York (

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

Headquarters) *1988 – Central Park Zoo, New York, New York *1988 – Bouygues World Headquarters, Saint-Quentin-Yvelines, France *1989 – Leo Burnett Building Company Headquarters, Chicago, Illinois *1990 – 750 7th Avenue, New York, New York *1990 – Metropolitano Office Building, Madrid, Spain *1992 – J. P. Morgan Headquarters, New York, New York *1993 – Corning Incorporated Corporate Headquarters, Corning, New York *1993 – Merck & Co. Inc.

Headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey *1993 – NationsBank Building (now Bank of America Plaza), Atlanta, Georgia *1993 – UC Santa Cruz Scotts Valley Center, Scotts Valley, California *1993 – Tanjong and Binariang Headquarters/ Menara Maxis, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia *1994 – Pontiac Marina Millenia Tower and Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Singapore *1995 – Dai-ichi Life Headquarters/ Norinchukin Bank Headquarters, DN Tower 21, Tokyo, Japan *1996 – Cummins Columbus Engine Plant Expansion, Columbus, Indiana *1997 – Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts *1997 – Shiodome City Center, Tokyo, Japan *1997 – Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for University Life/ Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University, New York, New York *1997 – Lucent Technologies, Lisle, IL/Naperville, Illinois *1997 – Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York, New York *2000 – Ciudad Grupo Santander, Madrid, Spain *2001 –

Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...

Headquarters, Washington, D.C. *2002 –

Bouygues Bouygues S.A. () is a French engineering group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on the Euronext, Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip (stock market), blue chip in the ...

SA Holding Company Headquarters, Paris, France *2003 – 1101 New York Avenue, Washington, D.C. *2003 – Renovation to Greek and Roman Court at

, New York, New York *2005 – Lafayette Tower, Washington, D.C. *2007 – Renovation to American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York *2008 – Renovation to American Wing at

, New York, New York *2009 – David S. Ingalls Rink Restoration and Addition, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut *2010 –

Convention Centre Dublin The Convention Centre Dublin () is a convention centre in the Dublin Docklands, Ireland. The Convention centre overlooks the River Liffey at Spencer Dock. It was designed by the Irish-born American architect Kevin Roche. Construction started i ...

, Dublin, Ireland *2011 – Renovation to Islamic Wing at

, New York, New York

Awards and honors

Roche was the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including: * Pritzker Prize * American Institute of Architects – AIA Gold Medal * American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medals – Gold Medal Award for Architecture * Academie d'Architecture – Grand Gold Medal * Total Design Award, American Society of Interior Designers * Medal of Honor, New York Chapter of the AIA * American Institute of Architects Twenty-five Year Award * Classical America's Arthur Ross Award * Brendan Gill Prize of the Municipal Art Society of New York * R. S. Reynolds Memorial Award * New York State Award * California Governor's Award for Excellence in Design * Albert S. Bard First Honor Awards, City Club of New York * Brandeis University Creative Arts Award in Architecture * Brunner Award of the American Institute of Art and Letters * New York Chapter American Institute of Architects Award Honorary Degrees: *

, Doctorate of Fine Arts *

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) () is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called '' constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under the Irish Universities Act 1908, and signifi ...

, Doctorate of Fine Arts * Albertus Magnus College, Doctorate of Fine Arts * Iona College, Doctorate of Fine Arts *

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, Doctorate of Fine Arts

References

External links

Profile.
archiseek.com

yurgeles.net

PritzkerPrize.com
Yale School of Architecture Honors Kevin Roche with Exhibition, Symposium.

Kevin Roche's six buildings in Columbus, Indiana
columbus.in.us
Oral history interview with Kevin Roche, 1995 Jan. 4
from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives, New York.
Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo Archive WebsiteRoche Modern website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roche, Kevin 20th-century Irish architects 21st-century Irish architects 1922 births 2019 deaths Alumni of University College Dublin Illinois Institute of Technology alumni Pritzker Architecture Prize winners Architects from County Dublin Irish emigrants to the United States People educated at Rockwell College Members of the Académie d'architecture Presidents of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Recipients of the AIA Gold Medal People from Mitchelstown Architects from County Cork