Earl R. Flansburgh (April 28, 1931 – February 3, 2009) was a Modernist architect known for his extensive work in the Boston area.

Early life and education

Earl Robert Flansburgh grew up in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...

. His father, Earl Alvah Flansburgh, was a professor at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. Flansburgh graduated from the Cornell Architecture School in 1954, where he was also a member of the

Quill and Dagger Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University. It is often recognized as one of the most prominent societies of its type, along with Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key at Yale University. In 1929, ''The New York Times'' stated t ...

society. While at Cornell, Flansburgh was manager of the freshmen's men orientation camp. In 1957, Flansburgh received a master's degree from MIT, and taught in London as a Fulbright scholar. Cornell Store, Cornell University

Flansburgh and his wife Polly both had deep ties to

. Both their parents were professors there. Polly's grandfather was a member of the school's first graduating class of 1869, which makes their son Earl Cornell's first-ever fifth-generation Cornellian. From 1972 until 1987, he was a University trustee, serving as chairman of the Buildings and Properties Committee. He designed the school's Campus Store and Builder's Wall; the store was honored with a citation by

Progressive Architecture The Progressive Architecture Awards (P/A Awards) annually recognise risk-taking practitioners and seek to promote progress in the field of architecture. History The editors of ''Progressive Architecture'' magazine hosted the first Progressive Arch ...

magazine in January 1969.

Career

In 1963, Flansburgh formed the architecture firm, Earl R. Flansburgh & Associates (ERF+A) in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. In January 1969, "Progressive Architecture" selected Flansburgh's underground Cornell Campus Store for one of its sixteen Annual Design Awards. Under his direction, the firm won over 80 regional and national design awards. Throughout his professional career Flansburgh also taught or lectured about architecture at institutions including

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

, and the

Architectural Association School of Architecture The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest Independent school (United Kingdom), independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in t ...

(London). Flansburgh received the Award of Honor for Lifetime Achievement from the Boston Society of Architects in 1999. His design of the Cornell University Campus Store was honored with a citation in ''Progressive Architecture'' Magazine in January 1969.

Personal life

Flansburgh married Louise Hospital in August 1955. Louise went on to found Boston By Foot a not-for-profit group that gives walking tours of historic sites in Boston. The couple had two sons, Earl Schuyler Flansburgh, born in 1957, now known as

Paxus Calta Paxus Calta (born 1957), born Earl Schuyler "Sky" Flansburgh, is an American political activist, communitarian and writer. He has been involved with the anti-nuclear movement and is a member of the Twin Oaks Community. Biography Calta was born ...

, and

John Flansburgh John Conant Flansburgh (born May 6, 1960) is an American musician. He is half of the long-standing Brooklyn, New York-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants with John Linnell, for which he writes, sings, and plays rhythm guitar. Common ...

, born in 1960. Calta is an

anti-nuclear The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes various nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, natio ...

activist; John is a member and co-founder of the musical group

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a d ...

. Earl Robert Flansburgh was buried by his family in February 2009 at Lincoln Cemetery in Middlesex County, Massachusetts.

References

External links

Flansburgh firm website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flansburgh, Earl 1931 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American architects Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning alumni