David S. Traub

Last updated

David S. Traub
Born(1941-09-06)September 6, 1941
Louisville, Kentucky,
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArchitect
AwardsMerit Award Ruberoid Competition
Grand Jury Award, Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia
Projects Philadelphia preservation organization "Save Our Sites"

David S. Traub (September 6, 1941, Louisville, Kentucky) is an American architect, author and playwright based in Philadelphia.

Contents

Biography

David S. Traub, a native of Louisville Kentucky, studied architecture and city planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and the University of Pennsylvania School of Design where he received a Masters of Architecture degree. At Penn in 1964, he studied in the Master's Class of the famous architect, Louis I. Kahn, with students who had gathered from around the world. [1]

During the Vietnam War, Traub served in the Corps of Engineers in Honolulu working as an architect on both military and civilian projects. There, he was involved in many military and government construction projects in the Pacific area. Among them was a workshop facility in the Marshall Island for which he received the Army Commendation Medal for his work on its design and production of contract documents.

From 1970 to 1973, Traub worked in the office of Louis I. Kahn where he was assigned to two of the most important projects in the office at that time, the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas and the Mellon Museum of British Art at Yale University in New Haven. During this time, Traub was also teaching in the Architectural Department at Philadelphia's Temple University from 1970 to 1971.

In 1974 Traub established his own office in Philadelphia. His firm, David S. Traub Associates, Architects, Planners and Interior Designers, has performed a variety of projects in the residential, commercial, and institutional fields. [2] He has designed for the City of Philadelphia, including projects for The Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation and the Fairmount Park Commission. The firm's work also includes, historic restoration, town planning and interior design of offices, houses and condominiums. Together with the firm Cairone and Kaupp he has envisioned a preliminary plan for a greenway along the Allegheny Avenue that connects Campbell Square and Pulaski Park on the Delaware River. Traub is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the Society of Architectural Historians and the Housing Association of Delaware Valley. [3] He is also a contributor to the University of Pennsylvania Architectural Archive.

The exhibition "Drawings" at the Central Penn National Bank in Philadelphia showed Traub's drawings in April 1981. In celebration in 1982 of the Tercentenary of the founding of the City of Philadelphia, Traub produced an exhibition entitled, Philadelphia, the Concealed City. The exhibition documented with photographs, Philadelphia's multitude of narrow streets, small public squares and hidden gardens, focusing on a "secret" city many residents and tourists never see. It was shown at the American Institute of Architects gallery, Girard Bank and at an architectural museum in Dayton, Ohio.

Traub has been involved in the area of historical restoration preparing plans for the reconstruction of a 19th-century Philadelphia school house and the Old Stetson Hospital Building. For the last several years, he has been very active in historic preservation in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood in Philadelphia. Traub has written many articles concerning preservation issues that have arisen near the square and elsewhere, published amongst others in the Center City Weekly Press and The Philadelphia Inquirer . [4] He is the co-founder of a new citywide preservation organization called SOS – Save Our Sites. [5] [6]

Teaching and lectures

Besides Traub's teaching in the Architectural Department at Philadelphia's Temple University from 1970 to 1971, the following gives an overview of his lectures:

Books

Searching for Philadelphia – The Concealed City

In his first book Searching for Philadelphia – The Concealed City, Traub uses photographs to bring awareness of the many largely hidden and unexpected architectural treasures the city has to offer. [9] The book gives recognition to the overlooked views of Philadelphia and is made up of seven distinct sections: [10]

1) "Alluring Entryways": memorable doors and portals featured in various locations, including Pemberton, Smedley and Camac Streets.

2) "Narrow Streets": one of Philadelphia's specialties walkable blocks practically inaccessible to car traffic is the principal subject. Included in this section are scenes showing Cypress, Delhi, Iseminger, Fitzwater, Addison, Irving, Jessup, Manning, Waverly, Bonsall and Quince Streets, as well as St. Mark's Square.

3) "Walkways": small passages are given special attention, including St. Joseph s Way, the English Village, St. Alban s Place and Madison Square.

4) "Hidden Courtyard": Philadelphia's architectural hideaways, including Loxley, Addison, Bladen s, Bell s, Green s and Drinker s Courts, as well as Lantern Square.

5) "Secret Gardens": some of the least known verdant precincts are featured. Among others, the plots at Powell House, Physick House, the College of Physicians and the Society of Colonial Dames are revealed.

6) "Tiny Parks": recreational spaces both small and quaint are the focus. Included are sites ranging from Fitler Square, to places such as Daniel Michaux Coxe Park, Bardascino Park and the Palmer Burial Ground.

7) "Unnoticed Buildings": structures unique to Philadelphia, including two carriage houses, a Romanian Orthodox church, other Christian places of worship, an old shot tower, two notable synagogues from past and present, structures once housing a classic bank and firehouse, and residences only to be found in the Quaker City.

Discovering Philadelphia – Places Little Known

Discovering Philadelphia – Places Little Known is a collection of unfamiliar photographs taken and assembled with descriptive captions. The book covers seven geographic areas: Philadelphia's historical district in the central city; South Philadelphia; North Philadelphia; West and Southwest Philadelphia; Northwest Philadelphia; the River Wards of Fishtown, Port Richmond and Bridesburg; and the largely suburban-like district of Northeast Philadelphia. It carries on the mission launched by David Traub with his first book of photographs, Searching for Philadelphia. Once again, he introduces his readers to buildings, streets and places in the city that many of them are unlikely to know. This time, however, Traub takes a geographic approach to Philadelphia's unusual sites. He divides the book into seven broad sections, each a web of neighborhoods with a distinct look and character, separated from one another by more than just miles.

Theater plays

Traub studied playwriting with Ed Shockley, a well-known Philadelphia playwright, actor, dramaturge and director, from 2007 until 2011.

Lincoln in Louisville

Traub's play in two acts Lincoln in Louisville, is a dramatization of an actual historical event, Abraham Lincoln's 1842 visit to Louisville, Kentucky, to stay at his close friend Joshua Speed's Farmington plantation where as many as fifty slaves toiled. Lincoln was in a depressed state of mind at the time due to the breakdown of his engagement to Mary Todd, setbacks in his political career, and his separation from Speed, who had recently left Illinois to return to Kentucky. Burdened with these problems, Lincoln had his first encounter with slavery operating all about him, rendering the visit a pivotal moment in his life. Lincoln's friendship with slaveholder Speed changed for the worse, but still their friendship survived. Speed's last visit to the White House was just two weeks before Lincoln's death. [11] [12]

Traub's long-time interest in Lincoln and issues of racial equality converged with the historical anniversaries in 2015: the 150th anniversary of the assassination of Lincoln, the end of the Civil War, and the passage of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery everywhere in the United States. Kentucky was once a slave state itself and the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. [13] Since 1990, Traub has published journal articles for the Philadelphia Weekly Press on Abraham Lincoln and other subjects.

In 2009 and 2001, Lincoln in Louisville was produced in a staged public reading at the University of Louisville Thrust Theatre. The final production in staged public reading format was performed in 2012 at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville, successfully received by the audiences and actors, who urged that the play be presented in a full production. The play was finally performed at the Louisville Alley Theatre in June 2015. [14] [15]

The stage sets for all productions to date of Lincoln in Louisville were designed by Traub himself. Also a musician and performing cellist, he selected the music included in the staged public readings of the play.

Personal life

Traub has a younger brother, photographer Charles H. Traub, and is the father of documentary filmmaker and photographer Daniel Traub.

Awards and honors

Exhibitions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallace Harrison</span> American architect

Wallace Kirkman Harrison was an American architect. Harrison started his professional career with the firm of Corbett, Harrison & MacMurray, participating in the construction of Rockefeller Center. He is best known for executing large public projects in New York City and upstate, many of them a result of his long and fruitful personal relationship with Nelson Rockefeller, for whom he served as an adviser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Johnson</span> American architect (1906–2005)

Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an American architect best known for his works of modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the postmodern 550 Madison Avenue in New York City, designed for AT&T; 190 South La Salle Street in Chicago; the Sculpture Garden of the Museum of Modern Art; and the Pre-Columbian Pavilion at Dumbarton Oaks. In his obituary, The New York Times wrote in January 2005 that his works "were widely considered among the architectural masterpieces of the 20th century."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Venturi</span> American architect

Robert Charles Venturi Jr. was an American architect, founding principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, and one of the major architectural figures of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Kahn</span> Estonian-American architect (1901–1974)

Louis Isadore Kahn was an Estonian-born American architect based in Philadelphia. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935. While continuing his private practice, he served as a design critic and professor of architecture at Yale School of Architecture from 1947 to 1957. From 1957 until his death, he was a professor of architecture at the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Speed</span> American lawyer and politician (1812–1887)

James Speed was an American lawyer, politician, and professor who was in 1864 appointed by Abraham Lincoln to be the United States Attorney General. Speed previously served in the Kentucky legislature and in local political offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adolph Alexander Weinman</span> American sculptor and architectural sculptor (1870–1952)

Adolph Alexander Weinman was a German-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Abramovitz</span> American architect

Max Abramovitz was an American architect. He was best known for his work with the New York City firm Harrison & Abramovitz.

Romaldo "Aldo" Giurgola AO was an Italian academic, architect, professor, and author. Giurgola was born in Rome, Italy in 1920. After service in the Italian armed forces during World War II, he was educated at the Sapienza University of Rome. He studied architecture at the University of Rome, completing the equivalent of a B.Arch. with honors in 1949. That same year, he moved to the United States and received a master's degree in architecture from Columbia University. In 1954, Giurgola accepted a position as an assistant professor of architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Shortly thereafter, Giurgola formed Mitchell/Giurgola Architects in Philadelphia with Ehrman B. Mitchell in 1958. In 1966, Giurgola became chair of the Columbia University School of Architecture and Planning in New York City, where he opened a second office of the firm. In 1980 under Giurgola's direction, the firm won an international competition to design a new Australian parliament building. Giurgola moved to Canberra, Australia to oversee the project. In 1989, after its completion and official opening in 1988, the Parliament House was recognized with the top award for public architecture in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Bacon (architect)</span> American urban planner and architect

Edmund Norwood Bacon was an American urban planner, architect, educator, and author. During his tenure as the executive director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission from 1949 to 1970, his visions shaped today's Philadelphia, the city of his birth, to the extent that he is sometimes described as "The Father of Modern Philadelphia". He authored the seminal urban planning book Design of Cities.

Gideon Shryock was Kentucky's first professional architect in the Greek Revival Style. His name has frequently been misspelled as Gideon Shyrock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Philadelphia</span>

The architecture of Philadelphia is a mix of historic and modern styles that reflect the city's history. The first European settlements appeared within the present day borders of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the 17th century with most structures being built from logs. By the 18th century, brick structures had become common. Georgian and later Federal style buildings dominated much of the cityscape. In the first half of the 19th century, Greek revival appeared and flourished with architects such as William Strickland, John Haviland, and Thomas U. Walter. In the second half of the 19th century, Victorian architecture became popular with the city's most notable Victorian architect being Frank Furness.

Louis Edward Sauer is a North American architect and design theorist of dual American and Canadian nationality, known for his role in the renewal in Society Hill, Philadelphia and his contributions to low-rise, high-density housing. Sauer worked with housing developers to produce low-rise high-density housing projects throughout the 1960s and 70s.

Zantzinger, Borie and Medary was an American architecture firm that operated from 1905 to 1950 in Philadelphia. It specialized in institutional and civic projects. For most of its existence, the partners were Clarence C. Zantzinger, Charles Louis Borie Jr., and Milton Bennett Medary, all Philadelphians.

Oscar Gregory Stonorov was a modernist architect and architectural writer, historian and archivist who emigrated to the United States from Germany in 1929. His first name is often spelled "Oskar".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richards Medical Research Laboratories</span> United States historic place

The Richards Medical Research Laboratories, located on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, were designed by architect Louis Kahn and are considered to have been a breakthrough in his career. The building is configured as a group of laboratory towers with a central service tower. Brick shafts on the periphery hold stairwells and air ducts, producing an effect reminiscent of the ancient Italian towers that Kahn had painted several years earlier.

Harrison & Abramovitz was an American architectural firm based in New York and active from 1941 through 1976. The firm was a partnership of Wallace Harrison and Max Abramovitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph & Joseph</span>

Joseph & Joseph is an architectural firm founded in 1908 in Louisville, Kentucky. The main services include architectural, engineering and design projects.

Luckett & Farley is an architecture, engineering, and interior design firm based in Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1853, making it the oldest continually operating architecture firm in the United States that is not a wholly owned subsidiary. The firm began under the name Rogers, Whitestone & Co., Architects, changing its name to Henry Whitestone in 1857, to D.X. Murphy & Brother in 1890, and to Luckett & Farley in 1962. The company is 100% employee-owned as of January 1, 2012 and concentrates on automotive, industrial, federal government, higher education, health and wellness, and corporate/commercial markets. There are more LEED professionals at Luckett & Farley than any other company in Kentucky with 50, as of December 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Ingersoll Meigs</span> American architect

Arthur Ingersoll Meigs (1882–1956) was an American architect.

Charles H. Traub is an American photographer and educator, known for his ironic real world witness color photography. He was chair of the photography department at Columbia College Chicago, where he established its Museum of Contemporary Photography (MOCP) in 1976, and became a director of New York's Light Gallery in 1977. Traub founded the MFA program in Photography, Video, and Related Media at the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1987, which was the first program of its kind to fully embrace digital photographic practice. He has been Chairperson of the program since. Traub has published many books of his photographs and writings on photography and media.

References

  1. ↑ Williamson, James (March 24, 2015). Kahn at Penn: Transformative Teacher of Architecture. Routledge. ISBN   9781317669227 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ "A surprising sense of intimacy", article by Patricia Leigh Brown, The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 28, 1986
  3. ↑ "Searching for Philadelphia: The Concealed City (David S. Traub, AIA) – American Institute of Architects". www.aiaphiladelphia.org.
  4. ↑ "Statement of Support by Distinguished Architect, David S. Traub – Faithful Laurentians". December 16, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Weekly Press – Philadelphia News". philadelphiafreepress.com.
  6. ↑ "index". www.saveoursites.org.
  7. ↑ "Searching for Philadelphia: The Concealed City – Camino Books, Inc". www.caminobooks.com.
  8. ↑ "Discovering Philadelphia: Places Little Known – Camino Books, Inc". www.caminobooks.com.
  9. ↑ "Inside look into David Traub's Concealed Philadelphia", article by Nicole Contosta, Weekly Press, Philadelphia, February 19, 2014
  10. ↑ Traub, David S. (September 21, 2013). Searching for Philadelphia: The Concealed City. Camino Books, Inc. ISBN   978-1933822785.
  11. ↑ "About". Lincoln in Louisville.
  12. ↑ "The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky on May 31, 2015 · Page I3". May 31, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Lincoln in Louisville".
  14. ↑ "'Lincoln in Louisville' – LEO Weekly".
  15. ↑ "Performing arts picks for week of May 31". The Des Moines Register .
  16. ↑ New York (N.Y.).; Ruberoid Company. (July 11, 1963). Fifth Ruberoid architectural design competition: East River urban renewal project. Ruberoid Co. – via Hathi Trust.
  17. ↑ "Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations Records – Temple University Libraries". library.temple.edu.
  18. ↑ http://www.preservationalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Program_Book_2012.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.