Wallace K. Harrison

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(b. Worcester, Massachusetts 1895; d. New York, 1981)

Co-founder of the firm Harrison and Abramovitz.

Wallace K. Harrison was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1895. He studied in the atelier of Harvey Corbett in New York and in the atelier of Gustave Umbdenstock in Paris. In 1922 he was awarded the Rotch Traveling Fellowship which allowed him to study at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris for one year. Upon his return to the United States, he worked with and for a series of architects in New York.

Although Harrison received little formal training, he eventually became one of the most successful architects of his time. During his lifetime, Harrison, mostly in partnership with Max Abramovitz, designed a wide spectrum of building types including apartments, houses, museums, college buildings and research buildings. Most of Harrison's reputation and success hinged on his involvement with large commissions.

Harrison most clearly made his mark on the architectural field in his design and construction of tall urban office buildings. Although, these buildings generally lack an innovative or pioneering spirit, they act as excellent showcases for straightforward, functional designing and planning.

Harrison died in New York City in 1981.

References
Muriel Emmanuel. Contemporary Architects. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1980. ISBN 0-312-16635-4. NA680.C625.

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