Architect. Van der Rohe spent the first half of his career in his native country, Germany, where his early work was mainly residential, receiving his first independent commission when he was only 20 years old. He quickly became a leading figure in the avany-garde life of Berlin and was widely respected in Europe for his innovative structures, including the Barcelona Pavilion. In 1930, he was named director of the Bauhaus, the renowned German school of experimental art and design, which he led until 1933 when he closed the school under pressure from the Nazi Regime. In 1936, the Department of Architecture at Armour Institute in Chicago chose Van der Rohe as their new director. Arriving in 1938, he insisted on a back-to-basics approach to education, holding classes in space provided by the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1940, Armour Institute and Lewis Institute merged to form Illinois Institute of Technology. Armour Insitute’s and Van der Rohe was appointed to develop plans for a newly expanded 120-acre campus. His academic buildings stood in sharp contrast to the patrician campuses of the past, using 20th century methods and materials: steel and concrete frames with curtain walls of brick and glass. He went on to design some of the nation’s most recognizable buildings, including the Lake Shore Drive Apartments in Chicago (1951), Arts Club of Chicago (1952), the Seagram Building in New York City (1958), Lafayette Park in Detroit (1959), Home Federal Saving and Loan in Des Moines (1962), Highfield House Condominiums of Baltimore (1964) and the Brown Pavilion, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (1965). In 1959, the Royal Institute of British Architects awarded him its Gold Medal and the following year he received the AIA Gold Medal, the highest award given by the American Association of Architects. President Lyndon Johnson presented Mies with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963.
Architect. Van der Rohe spent the first half of his career in his native country, Germany, where his early work was mainly residential, receiving his first independent commission when he was only 20 years old. He quickly became a leading figure in the avany-garde life of Berlin and was widely respected in Europe for his innovative structures, including the Barcelona Pavilion. In 1930, he was named director of the Bauhaus, the renowned German school of experimental art and design, which he led until 1933 when he closed the school under pressure from the Nazi Regime. In 1936, the Department of Architecture at Armour Institute in Chicago chose Van der Rohe as their new director. Arriving in 1938, he insisted on a back-to-basics approach to education, holding classes in space provided by the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1940, Armour Institute and Lewis Institute merged to form Illinois Institute of Technology. Armour Insitute’s and Van der Rohe was appointed to develop plans for a newly expanded 120-acre campus. His academic buildings stood in sharp contrast to the patrician campuses of the past, using 20th century methods and materials: steel and concrete frames with curtain walls of brick and glass. He went on to design some of the nation’s most recognizable buildings, including the Lake Shore Drive Apartments in Chicago (1951), Arts Club of Chicago (1952), the Seagram Building in New York City (1958), Lafayette Park in Detroit (1959), Home Federal Saving and Loan in Des Moines (1962), Highfield House Condominiums of Baltimore (1964) and the Brown Pavilion, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (1965). In 1959, the Royal Institute of British Architects awarded him its Gold Medal and the following year he received the AIA Gold Medal, the highest award given by the American Association of Architects. President Lyndon Johnson presented Mies with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963.
Bio by: Louis du Mort
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