Mickey Muennig (born George Kaye Muennig; 1935–2021) was an American architect. He was known for this

organic architecture Organic architecture is a philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world. This is achieved through design approaches that aim to be sympathetic and well-integrated with a site, so buildings, furn ...

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Range, Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from th ...

, along the California coast.

Early life and education

George Kaye Muennig was born on April 20, 1935, in Joplin, Jasper County,

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. He got his nickname Mickey, by his older sister, due to his outward semblance with

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...

. He began his college education at

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

, hoping to study

aeronautical engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

. After his first year of college he decided to transfer to the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

to study architecture under

Bruce Goff Bruce Alonzo Goff (June 8, 1904 – August 4, 1982) was an American architect, distinguished by his organic, eclectic, and often flamboyant designs for houses and other buildings in Oklahoma and elsewhere. A 1951 ''Life'' magazine article sta ...

, and Herb Greene.

Career

After graduation he had apprenticeships in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, and

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. In 1969, he moved to Denver for an architecture job that did not materialize and his family stayed in Denver until 1971. In 1971, Muenning went to a two week

Gestalt therapy Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes Responsibility assumption, personal responsibility and focuses on the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist–client relationship, the environmental and social c ...

class in the Big Sur at

Esalen Institute The Esalen Institute, commonly called Esalen, is a non-profit American Retreat (spiritual), retreat center and intentional community in Big Sur, California, which focuses on humanism, humanistic alternative education. The institute played a ke ...

, he described it as an enlightening experience and decide to stay a week longer. He was able to blend his architectural design with the local materials, and create homes that felt like they were a part of Big Sur. He was a proponent of underground houses for both temperature control and fire proofing, as well as building on stilts. Many of his works have been described as "magical", "creative", or "visionary". Some of the houses had issues with livability according to Edward Bazinet, a client of Muenning's, as he had failed to plan for the need of furniture. The Post Ranch Inn, a luxury resort in Big Sur opened in April 1991. Muenning's design work for the Post Ranch Inn featured buildings with geometric inspiration by animals (such as the butterfly), as well as towers and cylinders that are a nod to

. The guest rooms were arranged in a village, made of individual small structures. The hotel design was meant to not compete with the landscape, the hotel is located on a dramatic coastal bluff and had views of migrating whales in the Pacific Ocean. In 2000 and 2002,

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast ...

had listed Muenning as one of the top 100 architects in the United States. In 2005, the Monterey chapter 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 ...

(AIA) honored Muennig.

Death and legacy

Muennig died on June 10, 2021, at the age of 86. The Muennig archives are held at the University of Oklahoma, American School of Architecture Archive.

Early life and education

Career

Death and legacy

Works

See also

References

Further reading