Ulrich Franzen

thumb|Bradfield Hall at Cornell University (Ithaca, New York).

'''Ulrich Joseph Franzen''' (January 15, 1921 – October 6, 2012) was a German-born American architect known for his "fortresslike" buildings and Brutalist style.<ref name="obit1">Vitello, Paul (14 October 2012). [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/arts/design/ulrich-franzen-architect-of-new-york-buildings-dies-at-91.html Ulrich Franzen, Designer of Brutalist Buildings, Dies at 91], ''The New York Times''</ref>

==Life and career== Franzen was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, the son of Eric and Lisbeth Hellersberg Franzen. They emigrated to the United States in 1936. He lived with his mother and a younger brother once his parents divorced. He obtained an undergraduate degree from Williams College, and after one semester at the architectural school at Harvard University, joined the Army. After World War II ended, he obtained a master's degree from Harvard in 1950. By 1951, he was working for I. M. Pei. He left Pei and formed his own firm, Ulrich Franzen & Associates, in 1955.<ref name="pei">[https://books.google.com/books?id=sPGdBxzaWj0C&pg=RA1-PA268 The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art, Volume 1], p. 268 (2011)</ref>

The Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas, which was completed in 1968, was Franzen's first prominent solo project.<ref name="chron">Gonzales, J.R. (14 October 2012). [http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2012/10/ulrich-franzen-alley-theatre-architect-dies-at-91/ Ulrich Franzen, Alley Theatre architect, dies at 91] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015125735/http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2012/10/ulrich-franzen-alley-theatre-architect-dies-at-91/ |date=2012-10-15 }}, ''Houston Chronicle''</ref> Franzen also designed the headquarters for the Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee, WI (completed 1976). In 2005, LA DALLMAN was commissioned to create the new Miller Corporate Pub and Meeting Center, fully renovating the ground floor. The project received a 2005 American Institute of Architects Wisconsin Honor Award.<ref>{{cite web |title=AIA Wisconsin Honors 10 |publisher=AIArchitect |date=6 June 2005 |access-date=25 December 2018 |url=http://info.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek05/tw0603/0603aia_wisc.htm }}{{Dead link|date=February 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> His other notable projects include the East and West towers at Hunter College (completed in 1984 after a long delay due to the financial crisis in New York City), and the Philip Morris headquarters in New York City (completed in 1982).

Franzen died on October 6, 2012, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, survived by his wife Josephine.<ref name="obit1"/> He was 91.

==Notable works== thumb|Emerson Hall at Cornell University (Ithaca, New York). thumb|Alley Theatre, Houston[[File:Hunter College bridge.jpg|thumb|200px|View of the bridges between the East and West Buildings at Hunter College]] * 1957: Towers House, Essex, Connecticut<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-07-02 |title=In Essex, an Iconic Address |url=https://www.theday.com/article/20120702/biz04/307059799 |access-date=2022-05-15 |website=The Day |language=en-US }}{{Dead link|date=February 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ulrich Franzen House/Essex, CT - YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAcvMwcNAl4&feature=youtu.be |access-date=2022-05-15 |website=www.youtube.com}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Architect Ulrich Franzen's Last Interview |date=6 February 2013 |url=https://vimeo.com/59058616 |language=en |access-date=2022-05-15}}</ref> * 1958: Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion, Long Island City, New York<ref name="Gunts 2023 t131">{{cite web | last=Gunts | first=Edward | title=Modernist structures by Paul Rudolph and Ulrich Franzen are now landmarks | website=The Architect’s Newspaper | date=December 21, 2023 | url=https://www.archpaper.com/2023/12/modernist-structures-paul-rudolph-ulrich-franzen-new-york-city-newest-landmarks/ | access-date=March 8, 2024}}</ref> * 1958: Beattie House, Rye, New York<ref name="beattie1">(29 September 1958). [https://books.google.com/books?id=aVMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62 Homes That Achieve Most in Livability], ''Life (magazine)'', at p. 62-63.</ref> * 1959: Weissman House, Rye, New York * 1961: Miller/Efinger House ("Prism in the Pines"), Brewster, New York<ref>[https://usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1961-05.pdf Progressive Architecture, May 1961, pp. 126-9.] (The house has since been demolished by a subsequent owner.)</ref> * 1963: Bernstein House, Great Neck, New York * 1963: Dana House, New Canaan, Connecticut * 1963: Whiting Dress Factory, Pleasantville, New York * 1964: Castle House, New London, Connecticut<ref name="cast1">Dufresne, Bethe (1 October 2010). [https://archive.today/20130203204618/http://www.sun-sentinel.com/topic/hc-ulrich-franzen-house-1001-20101001,0,7605616,full.story A Sleek And Airy Modernist Landmark - Ulrich Franzen Designed Notable New London House In 1962 When Modernist Aesthetic Was Becoming More Experimental], ''South Florida Sun-Sentinel'' (originally published in the ''Hartford Courant'')</ref> * 1965: Buttenweiser House, Mamaroneck, New York<ref name="but1">(13 August 1965) [https://books.google.com/books?id=MVMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA82 A Fortress by the Sea], ''Life (magazine)'', at p. 82 (article on Buttenweiser house with photographs)</ref> * 1966: The Folly at Field Farm, Williamstown, Massachusetts * 1968-1970: Paraphernalia Store, Lexington Avenue, New York City, New York * 1968: Bradfield Hall (agronomy building), Ithaca, New York<ref name="corn1">(22 December 1968). [https://www.nytimes.com/1968/12/22/archives/tower-is-highest-above-cayuga-tower-lab-for-cornell.html Tower Is Highest Above Cayuga; Tower Lab For Cornell], ''The New York Times''</ref><ref name="CALS">{{cite web |title=Facilities & Resources |url=https://scs.cals.cornell.edu/about/facilities-resources/ |website=College of Agriculture and Life Sciences |publisher=Cornell University |quote=Bradfield and Emerson Halls, which were designed by architect Ulrich Franzen in 1968|access-date=20 May 2019}}</ref> * 1968: Emerson Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York<ref name="CALS" /> * 1968: Alley Theatre, Houston, Texas<ref name="alley">Barnes, Clive (2 December 1968). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NUtSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wXsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5452,2318338&dq= Alley Theatre Opens In Houston], ''St. Petersburg Times'' (reprint of article from ''The New York Times'')</ref> * 1969: “The Street” Urban Concept<ref>{{Citation |last=Omnibus |first=Urban |title=Ulrich Franzen's "Street" |date=2013-03-07 |url=https://vimeo.com/61293061 |access-date=2022-05-15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-02-18 |title=Ulrich Franzen's Street |url=http://urbanomnibus.net/2009/02/ulrich-franzens-street/ |access-date=2022-05-15 |website=Urban Omnibus |language=en-US}}</ref> * 1969-1972: University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire * 1969-1972: Harpers Ferry Center, West Virginia * 1969: The Cooper Union, New York City, New York (Entwurf) * 1970: First Unitarian Church, Richmond, Virginia * 1974-1975: Franzen Penthouse, New York City, New York * 1974-1978: The Harlem School of the Arts, New York City, New York * 1974: First City National Bank, Binghamton, New York * 1974: Multi-Cat Research Tower (Veterinary School) at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York * 1974: The Evolving City * 1975-1984: Hunter College, New York City, New York * 1978-1979: Franzen House, Bridgehampton, New York * 1978: Krauss House, Old Westbury, New York * 1980-1981: University Center at University of Michigan, Flint, Michigan * 1980-1982: Miller Brewing Visitors Centers * 1981: Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Ithaca, New York * 1983: Champion International, Stamford, Connecticut * 1984: Philip Morris Headquarters, New York City * 1985: Glimcher House, Long Island, New York * 1994: Morris House, Greenwich, Connecticut

{{Gallery |title=Selected works of Ulrich Franzen |width=240 |height=180

|File:Boyce Thompson Institute For Plant Research 2.JPG|Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Ithaca, New York |File:The Harlem School of Arts (48170421892).jpg|The Harlem School of the Arts building in Harlem, Manhattan

|File:National Park Service Interpretive Design Center, NPS Harpers Ferry Center 2.jpg|National Park Service Interpretive Design Center (Harpers Ferry Center)

}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reading== *Blake, Peter. ''The Architecture of Ulrich Franzen: Selected Works'' (Birkhäuser Basel 1999) ({{ISBN|3764359056}})

==External links== *[https://hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu/repositories/7/resources/732 The Architecture of Ulrich Franzen: An Inventory], Special Collections, Frances Loeb Library, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franzen, Ulrich}} Category:20th-century American architects Category:1921 births Category:2012 deaths Category:Brutalist architects Category:Modernist architects Category:Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni Category:Williams College alumni Category:Emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States