Steven Izenour (July 16, 1940 in
New Haven
New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...
– August 21, 2001 in
Vermont
Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...
) was an American
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
, urbanist and theorist. He is best known as co-author, with
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 ...
, of ''
Learning from Las Vegas'', one of the most influential
architectural theory
Architectural theory is the act of thinking, discussing, and writing about architecture. Architectural theory is taught in all architecture schools and is practiced by the world's leading architects. Some forms that architecture theory takes are t ...
books of the twentieth century. He was also a principal in the
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
firm
Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates.
He was born in
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...
, where his father
George Izenour, a theatre stage and lighting designer, taught at
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 ...
and later had a consulting firm. His mother was Hildegard Hilt. In 1964, Izenour married Elisabeth Margit Gemmill.
Education and teaching
Izenour studied art history at
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...
and architecture at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
, before earning a Master of
Environmental Design
Environmental design is the process of addressing surrounding environmental parameters when devising plans, programs, policies, buildings, or products. It seeks to create spaces that will enhance the natural, social, cultural and physical environm ...
in 1969 at
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 ...
. After completing his degree at Yale, he ran the "Learning from Las Vegas" design studio for a time for Bob Venturi. Next he worked in
Charles Moore's architectural office in New Haven for a year or two.
In the late 1960s/early 1970s, he moved with his wife, Elisabeth Margit Gemmill, and their two children (Ann-Kristin and Tessa) back to Philadelphia. There he reunited with Bob Venturi, John Rauch, and
Denise Scott-Brown. "He was a unique spirit from the get-go," Ms. Scott-Brown said. "The rebellious maverick side of our work appealed to him." She credits him with the nickname, "Big Tuna around the office."
In addition to teaching at Yale University, Izenour also taught at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
and
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony Joseph Drexel, Anthony J. Drexel, a financier ...
in Philadelphia.
Learning from Las Vegas
While a grad student at Yale, Izenour assisted Robert Venturi as a TA in 1968 for a studio course and research project titled "Learning from Las Vegas, or Form Analysis as Design Research". They eventually wrote a book based on their findings from the research" ''Learning from Las Vegas'', first published in 1972. It was published in a revised edition in 1977, titled ''Learning from Las Vegas. The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form''.
[Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, Steven Izenour, ''Learning from Las Vegas'', MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 1972, revised 1977. ]
As part of the research, Izenour had accompanied his senior tutor colleagues, Venturi and Scott Brown, to
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
in 1968, together with nine students of architecture and two planning and two graphics students, to study the urban form of the city. It was generally regarded at that time as a "non-city"; rather, as the outgrowth of "strip" development, along which were placed parking lots and separate frontages for gambling casinos, hotels, churches, and bars. Venturi, Scott Brown and Izenour had previously visited Las Vegas, and written a joint article, "A significance for A&P parking lots, or learning from Las Vegas" (1968).
The research group studied various aspects of the city, including its symbolism, the lighting, "pattern books", "styles" and "illusion/allusion". They concluded that, in a city like Las Vegas, symbolism carries greater importance than architectural form. They identified this distinction as what they called the difference between "ducks" and "decorated sheds." Most modernist architecture, the authors said, used expressive
mass and volume to convey meaning, like the famous "Long Island Duckling" on Long Island, New York. But in a place like Las Vegas, the more common "decorated sheds" relied on imagery and signs to do much the same thing. Virtually all architecture prior to the Modern Movement used such decoration to convey meaning, often profound but sometimes perfunctory, such as the signage on medieval shop fronts. Only Modernist architecture eschewed such ornament, relying only on its corporeal or structural elements to convey meaning. As such, it became mute and often vacuous, especially when built for corporate or government clients.
''Learning from Las Vegas'' caused a stir in the architectural world when published. Progressive critics took it as a bold indictment of Modernism; mainline practitioners found it blasphemous. A split among young American architects occurred during the 1970s, with Izenour, Venturi,
Robert A.M. Stern, Charles Moore and
Allan Greenberg defended the book as "The Greys," and modernists
Richard Meier
Richard Meier (born October 12, 1934) is an American abstract artist and architect, whose geometric designs make prominent use of the color white. A winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1984, Meier has designed several iconic buildings ...
,
Peter Eisenman
Peter David Eisenman (born August 11, 1932) is an American architect, writer, and professor. Considered one of the New York Five, Eisenman is known for his high modernist and deconstructive designs, as well as for his authorship of several archi ...
,
John Heyduk, and
Michael Graves
Michael Graves (July 9, 1934 – March 12, 2015) was an American architect, designer, and educator, and principal of Michael Graves and Associates and Michael Graves Design Group. He was a member of The New York Five and the Memphis Group and ...
wrote against its premises as "The Whites." It became associated with
post-modernism when magazines such as ''
Progressive Architecture'' published articles citing its influence on the younger generation. When
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. (March 2, 1930 – May 14, 2018)Some sources say 1931; ''The New York Times'' and Reuters both initially reported 1931 in their obituaries before changing to 1930. See and was an American author and journalist widely ...
published his critical book, ''From Bauhaus to Our House,'' Venturi, Scott Brown and Izenour were among those architects the author praised for their stand against heroic Modernism.
White Towers
In 1979, continuing his studies into the relationship of architecture and pop culture, Izenour and fellow architect
Paul Hirshorn published a monograph about the
White Tower Hamburgers fast food chain. Their book contained selected photographs taken in a variety of styles—from the stark and deadpan to family album-like snapshots. In an affectionately written introductory essay, Hirshorn and Izenour described the identifiable and idiosyncratic commercial architectural style of the 1930s and 1940s, and documented the development of the White Tower's architecture and stylistic variations. They used interviews with former White Tower employees, including Charles Johnson, White Tower's architect for over forty years, to set their analysis of the buildings within a broader context of corporate culture, mass marketing, and the rise of franchising in the twentieth century.
Learning from the Wildwoods
Similar to the Las Vegas studies, in the 1990s Izenour started university courses for the study and preservation of 1950s
Doo Wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...
architecture in
Wildwood, New Jersey, a Shore community. In association with the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and
Kent State University
Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...
, he came up with the ''Wildwoods Redevelopment Plan''. It established a foundation to revitalize the beach resort.
Melissa Milgrom, "Learning from Steve Izenour", The Metropolis Observed, ''Metropolis Magazine'', January 2002
References
External links
''Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Inc.'' firm web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Izenour, Steven
20th-century American architects
Postmodern architects
American architecture writers
American male non-fiction writers
Urban theorists
Fellows of the American Institute of Architects
United States National Medal of Arts recipients
Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters
University of Pennsylvania faculty
Yale School of Architecture alumni
1940 births
Architecture firms based in Pennsylvania
Architects from Pennsylvania
2001 deaths
University of Pennsylvania School of Design alumni
20th-century American male writers