Barton Myers

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Barton Myers
Born (1934-11-06) November 6, 1934 (age 89)
Norfolk Virginia, U.S.
Alma mater University of Pennsylvania School of Design
Barton Myers Associates
OccupationArchitect
PracticeDiamond and Myers
Barton Myers Associates

Barton Myers RCA (born November 6, 1934) is an American architect and president of Barton Myers Associates Inc. in Santa Barbara, California. With a career spanning more than 40 years, Myers is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and was a member of the Ontario Association of Architects while working in Canada earlier in his career.

Contents

Early life

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Myers is a descendant of Moses Myers, a businessman who was the first permanent Jewish settler in Norfolk, Virginia. [1] The Federal style townhouse, which he built in Norfolk, later became and is now the Moses Myers House/Chrysler Museum of Art, [2] and Myers has served as an Advisory Committee Board Member to the museum since 1999.

His grandfather (also named Barton Myers, 1853-1927) was a former Mayor of Norfolk, Virginia, and served on the board of the Jamestown Exposition in 1907. In 2007, the Chrysler Museum of Art mounted an exhibition about his significant contributions to Norfolk, Virginia at the Moses Myers House. [3]

Myers graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, [4] and served as a jet fighter pilot for five years in the United States Air Force, based first in the western United States and then (for three years) in the United Kingdom.[ citation needed ] He attended architecture courses at Oxford and at Cambridge University, and returned to the United States to study architecture. He received his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania and subsequently worked with Louis Kahn from 1964 to 1966. [4]

Architectural practice

He established his own practice in Toronto in 1968, and was principal in the firm of Diamond and Myers until 1975, when he formed Barton Myers Associates in Toronto.[ citation needed ] In 1984, he opened an office in Westwood, Los Angeles, which is now the firm's base.

In 1986, Myers was the recipient of the first Toronto Arts Award for Architecture in recognition of his contribution to the city and, in 1994, he received the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Gold Medal. In 2002, he was awarded the American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles Chapter Gold Medal. [5] He is also a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA), [6] "one of Canada's most enduring cultural institutions." Founded in 1880, the RCA celebrates the exceptional achievements of professionals working in Canada in multiple disciplines and under the patronage of the Governor General of Canada. [7]

Myers taught architecture and planning at both the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo. He has also served as the Thomas Jefferson Professor at the University of Virginia, the Graham Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and has been a visiting professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He has held a continuing appointment as Professor of Architecture at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Architecture and Urban Design since 1980. [4]

In 1994, Barton Myers' architectural body of work was published as part of the "Masters of Architecture" book series. Mainly in colour, the Myers monograph contains 52 projects illustrated with over 350 photographs. Other volumes in this series include: Norman Foster, Cesar Pelli, Murphy/Jahn, Peter Eisenman, Terry Farrell, Arup, Kisho Kurokawa and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. [8]

Design themes

One of the themes running through Myers' work is the theme of urban consolidation. The infill projects he completed in Toronto (Dundas Sherbourne Housing and Hydro Block Housing) served as prototypes for an even distribution of urban density seen in Europe and earlier in his hometown of Norfolk, opposing the increasing trend of dense, high-rise city centers surrounded by urban sprawl, exemplified by cities like Dallas. His philosophy of urban renewal was published in "Vacant Lottery", with University of Toronto professor George Baird. It led to a renewed interest in city planning and offered a strategy for increasing population densities within cities while preserving the existing residential fabric. [4]

Another architectural theme that Myers helped reintroduce to North American architecture is the idea of the urban room. Myers believes that the success of a building lies in its ability to define the surrounding streets, squares, forecourts and courtyards that make cities livable. This idea is evidenced in many of Myers' designs, including the Phoenix Municipal Government Center, Woodsworth College, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and the Art Gallery of Ontario Stage III Expansion.

Myers' work often makes use of off-the-shelf components, or ready-made industrial products that can be readily assembled on site. His early studies with steel and aluminum products with companies such as DOFASCO and Steclo resulted in prototypes for mass-produced housing. The factory produced steel houses built in Hamilton, Ontario, by DOFASCO (1971) are still standing and in good condition. Myers continued this exploration of off-the-shelf components with the Wolf House, Toronto, (1974) and commercial projects such as the Alcan office headquarters in Toronto. This exploration has been constant throughout his career and can be seen in projects ranging from single family residential to large civic developments. As of 2007, four of Myers' steel house projects have been built and continue to be recognized by architectural peers for their innovation. [9] In 2006, Barton Myers wrote a book "3 Steel Houses" which chronicles his explorations of steel house design throughout his career and its historical context. [10]

Myers' work is also identifiable by his commitment to adaptive reuse and his approach to old/new architectural combinations. His sensitivity to the existing urban fabric supports the idea that additions should openly relate to the existing structure and context rather than mimic architectural style. The Myers residence (1971) became an architectural example for modernist infill housing relating to the historic Victorian neighborhood. Later in his career, Myers' work in adaptive reuse was honored by the California Preservation Foundation in 2002 for a modern steel and glass addition to the Sacramento Hall of Justice, an example of early Beaux-Arts Classicism in Sacramento. [11] [12]

In 2007, the design of Myers' House in West Los Angeles was honored with the highest level of award by the American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles. The jury referred to the house as "the most promising concept in residential". [5] This work continues 30 years of research in steel house design, first inspired by Myers' early experiences on naval aircraft carriers, and the work of Charles Eames, Le Corbusier, Rudolph Schindler and Pierre Koenig. In 2007, Myers' Wolf House was awarded the Prix du XXe siècle from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada which "recognizes the enduring excellence of nationally significant architecture, such as landmark buildings in the historical context of Canadian Architecture". [13] [11]

Myer's design for the Seagram Museum in Waterloo, Ontario, was considered an "icon of Canadian Postmodernism and initiated a metamorphosis of the area." [14]

Contributions to Post-Secondary Institutions

Myers has taught architecture and lectured at Colleges and Universities since 1969, mentoring a generation of North American architects and planners. Over his career, he has contributed to the growth, planning and development of major academic institutions. Many of these institutions exemplify the core principles inherent in Myers' work and design philosophy. His campus contributions include:

Projects (partial listing)

Exhibitions (partial listing)

Television features

Books (partial listing)

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Norfolk: Moses Myers' house". Virginia Hospitality. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ↑ "Moses Myers' House". HamptonRoads.com (Archived). Archived from the original on 27 August 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  3. ↑ "Barton Myers: Norfolk Visionary". Chrysler Museum of Art (Archived). Archived from the original on 9 July 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Whiteson, Leon. "Myers, Barton". The Canadian Encyclopedia Historica (Archived). Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. 1 2 "AIA Los Angeles Awards 2002". AIA Archived. Archived from the original on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  6. ↑ "About RCA members". rca-arc.ca (Archived). Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ↑ "About the RCA". rca-arc.ca (Archived). Archived from the original on 16 August 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ↑ "The Master Architect Series". eng.archinform.net. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  9. ↑ "Architecture awards honor the realized and imagined". Los Angeles Times. June 28, 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  10. ↑ Knelman, Martin (May 4, 2008). "The architectural ballad of Barton Myers". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  11. 1 2 "Centennial Campaign". Arts UCLA. UCLA. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "Wolf House". raic.org. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ↑ "Prix du XXe siècle". raic.org (Archived). Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  14. ↑ "Seagram Museum". Architectural Record. Archived from the original on 2007-08-04.
  15. ↑ "History and Design". Cerritos Center (Archived). Archived from the original on 17 September 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  16. ↑ "Architecture". NJPAC (Archived). Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ↑ "History". New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  18. ↑ Crosbie, Michael J. "Best of the West". Architecture Week. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
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