Michael Maltzan is the principal architect at Michael Maltzan Architecture (MMA), a Los Angeles–based architecture firm. He received a Master of Architecture degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and both a Bachelor of Architecture degree and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...

. Maltzan was selected as a Fellow of 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 ...

in 2007.

Early life and education

Born near

Levittown Levittown is the name of several large suburban housing developments created in the United States (including one in Puerto Rico) by William J. Levitt and his company Levitt & Sons. Built after World War II for returning white veterans and thei ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, Maltzan was one of five children. He first studied drafting in high school in

Hebron, Connecticut Hebron ( ) is a New England town, town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. The population was 9,098 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

Career

Maltzan founded Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc. in 1995, with offices in

Silver Lake, Los Angeles Silver Lake is a residential and commercial Neighbourhood, neighborhood in the east-Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California, United States, originally home to a small community called Ivanhoe, so named in honor of Ivanhoe, ...

. His first solo project was completed in 1995 in the

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...

warehouse district This is a list of notable warehouse districts. A warehouse district or warehouse row is an area found in many urban setting known for being the current or former location of numerous warehouses. Logistically, warehouses are often located in indus ...

. In 1996, he was commissioned to design a $2 million house in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...

for entertainment lawyer Alan Hergott. In 1998, Ann Philbin chose Maltzan as architect for a renovation of the

Hammer Museum The Hammer Museum, which is affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles, is an art museum and cultural center known for its artist-centric and progressive array of exhibitions and public programs. Founded in 1990 by the entrepreneur- ...

Westwood, Los Angeles Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside (Los Angeles County), Westside region of the city of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCL ...

. In 1999, curator Terence Riley included him in 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 ...

’s influential exhibition “The Un-Private House.” In 2012, Maltzan and engineering firm

HNTB HNTB Corporation is an American infrastructure design firm. Founded in 1914 in Kansas City, Missouri, HNTB began with the partnership made by Ernest Emmanuel Howard with the firm Waddell & Harrington, founded in 1907. One of the most trusted U. ...

were selected through an international competition to design the

Sixth Street Viaduct The Sixth Street Viaduct, also known as the Sixth Street Bridge, is a viaduct bridge that connects the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles with the Boyle Heights neighborhood. The Sixth Street Viaduct spans the Los Angeles River, the Santa A ...

. The bridge will replace the original 1932 Sixth Street Viaduct that suffers from alkali-silica reaction which makes the bridge vulnerable to seismic failure. The bridge design is known as “The Ribbon of Light” and is the largest bridge project in the history of Los Angeles. The bridge opened to the public on July 9, 2022.

Recognition

Maltzan was awarded 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 ...

Award in Architecture in 2012 and the Society of Architectural Historians Change Agent Award in 2021. He received the 2016 AIA Los Angeles Gold Medal and was elected to the National Academy of Design in 2020. He was inducted as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2023. 0 Michael was awarded the 2025 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture Maltzan serves on the Deans leadership council at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Visiting Committee to the GSD. He was featured in the Canadian Centre for Architecture’s 2019 film, What It Takes to Make a Home, delivered the 20th Annual John T. Dunlop Lecture for the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, and his work was named One of the 25 Best Inventions of 2015 by Time Magazine.

Notable projects

* New Vassar residence hall,

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

, Cambridge, MA (2021) * Qaumajuq - Inuit Art Centre, Winnipeg, Canada (2020) * Rice University Moody Center for the Arts, Houston, TX (2016) * Crest Apartments, Los Angeles, CA (2016) * One Santa Fe, Los Angeles, CA (2015) * Hammer Museum John V. Tunney Bridge, Los Angeles, CA (2015) * Art Center College of Design Master Plan, Pasadena, CA (2015) * Star Apartments, Los Angeles, CA (2014) * Playa Vista Park, Playa Vista, CA (2010) * Pittman Dowell Residence, La Crescenta, CA (2009) * New Carver Apartments, Los Angeles, CA (2009) * Inner-City Arts, Los Angeles, CA (1995, 2005, 2008) * Rainbow Apartments, Los Angeles, CA (2005) * BookBar, Jinhua Architecture Park, Jinhua, China (2006) * Billy Wilder Theater, Los Angeles, CA (2006) * MOMA QNS, Long Island City, NY (2002) * Hergott Shepard Residence, Beverly Hills, CA (1998) * Los Angeles Sixth Street Viaduct (2022) 1

Gallery

File:189 Vassar Street.jpg, New Vassar,

, Cambridge, MA File:One Santa Fe apartments, Los Angeles.jpg, One Santa Fe, Los Angeles, CA File:Star Apartments.jpg, Star Apartments, Los Angeles, CA File:201805 The Book Bar at Jinhua Architecture Park.jpg, BookBar, Jinhua Architecture Park File:6th Street Bridge ordinary traffic.jpg,

, Los Angeles, CA

Personal life

Maltzan has been married to fellow architect Amy Murphy since 1988.Nicolai Ouroussoff (23 June 2002)
Drafting a Career
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

''.

References

20. American Academy of Arts and Letters Membership: https://www.artsandletters.org/membership

Major publications

Social Transparency: Projects On Housing
/ Columbia Books on Architecture and the City, 2016;
Other Space Odysseys: Greg Lynn, Michael Maltzan, Alessandro Poli
/ edited by Giovanna Borasi, Mirko Zardini (2010, Canadian Centre for Architecture; )

External links

Michael Maltzan Architecture website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maltzan, Michael 20th-century American architects Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni 1959 births Living people Rhode Island School of Design alumni 21st-century American architects People from Levittown, New York