# Elizabeth Close > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Elizabeth_Close > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Elizabeth_Close.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Close > Source revision: 1342464581 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Austrian-American architect}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2015}} {{Infobox architect | name = Elizabeth Close | image = Elizabeth Close and spouse Winston Close.JPG | image_size = 200px | alt = | caption = Elizabeth Close and her husband Winston reviewing an architectural model (c. 1955) | birth_name = Elizabeth Scheu | birth_date = {{Birth date| 1912|06|04}} | birth_place = [Vienna, Austria](/source/Vienna%2C_Austria) | death_date = {{Death date and age|2011|11|29|1912|06|04}} | death_place = [Minneapolis, Minnesota](/source/Minneapolis%2C_Minnesota), U.S. | other_names = | alma_mater = [Technische Hochschule](/source/Vienna_University_of_Technology)
[MIT](/source/MIT) | spouse = Winston Close | partner = | children = Three children | parents = Gustav Scheu and Helene Scheu ''née'' Riesz | awards = Minnesota Gold Medal (AIA), 2002 | practice = Close and Scheu Architects, Close Associates | significant_buildings = Ferguson Hall at [University of Minnesota](/source/University_of_Minnesota) | significant_projects = | significant_design = | signature = | website = }} '''Elizabeth "Lisl" Close''', ([née](/source/n%C3%A9e) '''Scheu'''; 4 June 1912, in [Vienna](/source/Vienna) – 29 November 2011, in [Minneapolis](/source/Minneapolis)) was an influential female [architect](/source/architect) practicing in [Minnesota](/source/Minnesota). During her long partnership with her husband, Winston "Win" Close (1906-1997), she designed many notable public buildings and private homes while managing the family firm for extended periods. ==Early life== Born in 1912 in Vienna, Austria, to {{ill|Gustav Scheu|de}} and [Helene Scheu ''née'' Riesz](/source/Helene_Scheu-Riesz), Elizabeth Scheu grew up in a house designed by [Adolf Loos](/source/Adolf_Loos) in 1913, an early practitioner of [modern architecture](/source/modern_architecture). Artists were frequent guests in the home, including [Ezra Pound](/source/Ezra_Pound) and [John Gunther](/source/John_Gunther).{{cite book|last1=Lathrop|first1=Alan K.|title=Minnesota architects : a biographical dictionary|date=2010|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis, Minnesota|isbn=978-0-8166-4463-6|page=44}} She became interested in architecture, in which she graduated at the [Technische Hochschule](/source/Vienna_University_of_Technology) in Vienna. Perhaps because she had a Jewish mother, she left Austria in August 1932—before the arrival of the [Nazis](/source/Nazi_Germany)—sailing aboard the SS ''American Merchant'' from London, and arrived in New York on 29 August 1932. She completed her education in [Boston](/source/Boston) with an M.A. in architecture at [MIT](/source/MIT) in 1935. ==Career and marriage== While she was studying in Boston, Close met her future husband, Winston Close, who was also a graduate student. It was not easy for women to enter the architecture profession at the time; after being rejected by two firms, she accepted an appointment by the third and started work in [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia), working under architect [Oscar Stonorov](/source/Oscar_Stonorov). In 1936, she joined the firm in Minneapolis where Winston was employed, Magney and Tusler. They established their own firm, Close and Scheu Architects, in 1938, building flat-roofed, streamlined homes.[http://www.uminnpressblog.com/2010/08/then-and-now-old-gray-heads-part-two.html "Then and Now: 'Old Gray Heads,' part two -- Elizabeth Close"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730202934/http://www.uminnpressblog.com/2010/08/then-and-now-old-gray-heads-part-two.html |date=July 30, 2017 }}, ''University of Minnesota Press''. Retrieved 18 March 2012. Winston and Elizabeth Close married in 1938, at which time her professional status was so unusual that the local paper ran an article titled "Architect Weds Architect." Elizabeth kept her maiden name until she became pregnant in 1940, when convention required her to adopt her husband's name.[http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/stageandarts/134864118.html Mary Abbe, "A modern woman who made modern buildings"], ''StarTribune'', December 2, 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2012. {{subscription required}} Elizabeth ran the family firm while her husband was away during [World War II](/source/World_War_II) and from 1950 to 1971 when he was head architect to the [University of Minnesota](/source/University_of_Minnesota). Architectural historian Jane King Hession says of Close: "By her example she inspired many women in architecture, myself included, but she didn't want to be known as a woman architect -- just as an architect who happened to be a woman." Close was known for designing buildings that have flat roofs, unpainted redwood or cedar siding, and large windows.{{Cite news|url=http://www.closehomes.org/article.php?article=star_trib_2002|title=This Modernist's Life|last=Mack|first=Linda|date=November 10, 2002|work=Minneapolis Star Tribune|access-date=June 26, 2017}} They designed fourteen houses in the [University Grove](/source/University_Grove%2C_Minnesota) neighborhood owned by the University of Minnesota for its professors and staff, including their own home. In 2002, Close was awarded the Minnesota Gold Medal, a lifetime achievement award by the [American Institute of Architects](/source/American_Institute_of_Architects) (AIA); this is the highest honor given to an individual by the local branch.{{cite journal|title=Elizabeth Close, FAIA, Gold Medal Winner|journal=Sparks|date=September 2002|volume=15|issue=8|url=http://www.closehomes.org/060605_aia_sept_sparks.pdf|accessdate=June 26, 2017}} ==Death and legacy== Elizabeth Close died on 29 November 2011 at Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was a role model for a generation of women wishing to practice architecture in a male-dominated profession. In 2020, the University of Minnesota Press published the biography ''Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture.''{{cite web |url=https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/elizabeth-scheu-close |title=Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture |author=Jane King Hession |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |accessdate=2020-08-08}} An accompanying exhibit was on display at the University of Minnesota until the campus was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. == Selected works == * 1938 – Ray Faulkner House ("The Art Today House"), plus 1940 addition[https://www.docomomo-us-mn.org/modern-registry.html Minnesota Modern Registry], Docomomo US MN, accessed December 6, 2024. – Minneapolis * 1942 – Starke R. Hathaway House – Minneapolis * 1948 – [John](/source/John_Rood_(artist)) & Dorothy Rood House – Minneapolis * 1950 – Harold Whiting House – [Owatonna](/source/Owatonna%2C_Minnesota) * 1951 – Harold & Marie Deutsch House – Minneapolis * 1951 – William & Patricia King House – Minneapolis * 1953 – Elizabeth and Winston Close House{{Cite web|title=The Residential Architecture of Winston and Elizabeth Close|url=http://www.closehomes.org/booklet/?page=14|access-date=2021-05-22|website=www.closehomes.org}} – [University Grove](/source/University_Grove%2C_Minnesota) * 1953 – Close Associates offices (add'n 1970) – Minneapolis * 1957 – "Thunderhead" cabin{{Cite web |date=2023-08-14 |title=Wanna Buy a Mid-Century Modern Cabin Designed by a Pioneering Architect? - Racket |url=https://racketmn.com/wanna-buy-a-mid-century-modern-cabin-designed-by-a-pioneering-architect |access-date=2023-10-07 |website=racketmn.com |language=en}} – [Cook County](/source/Cook_County%2C_Minnesota) * 1958 – Duff House (demolished) – [Woodland](/source/Woodland%2C_Minnesota) * 1960 – Dr. Gove & Elsie Hambidge Residence – [Roseville](/source/Roseville%2C_Minnesota) * 1964 – [Hendrik and Marri Oskam House](/source/Hendrik_and_Marri_Oskam_House) (listed on the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Hennepin_County%2C_Minnesota)) – [Edina](/source/Edina%2C_Minnesota) * 1974 – Freshwater Biological Institute – [Orono](/source/Orono%2C_Minnesota) * 1985 – Ferguson Hall, University of Minnesota – Minneapolis {{Gallery |title= |width=200 |height=170 |mode=packed |align=center |File:2023-0916 Ray Faulkner House.jpg |Close & Scheu's Ray Faulkner House (1938), Minneapolis, one of the first International Style houses in Minnesota and considered one of her most important works.Jane King Hession, "Faulkner House", [, Minnesota], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MN-01-053-0013. Last accessed: April 27, 2025 |alt1=Ray Faulkner House (1938) |File:2025-0503 Close Associates office.jpg |Close Associates office (1953), Minneapolis, is a crisp expression of their approach to modernism. |alt2=Close Associates office (1953) |File:2023-1001-Roseville Dr. Gove & Elsie Hambidge Residence.jpg |Dr. Gove & Elsie Hambidge Residence (1960), Roseville |alt3=Dr. Gove & Elsie Hambidge Residence (1960) |File:2025-1009 Hendrik and Marrigje (Marri) Oskam House - southeast elevation.jpg |[Hendrik and Marri Oskam House](/source/Hendrik_and_Marri_Oskam_House) (1964) (NRHP), Edina |alt4=Oskam House (1964) |File:Ferguson Hall Minnesota 5.jpg |Ferguson Hall (1985), on the University of Minnesota's West Bank campus |alt5=Ferguson Hall (1985) }} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.closearchitects.com/ Close Associates website] * [http://www.closehomes.org/ The Residential Architecture of Winston and Elizabeth Close] {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Close, Elizabeth}} Category:1912 births Category:2011 deaths Category:20th-century American architects Category:American women architects Category:Architects from Minneapolis Category:Architects from Vienna Category:20th-century American women Category:21st-century American women Category:Austrian emigrants to the United States --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Elizabeth Close](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Close) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Close?action=history)). 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