HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

John Ogden Merrill (10 August 1896 – 13 June 1975) was an American architect and structural engineer. He was chiefly responsible for the design "John Merrill Sr., Architect, Dead,"
''New York Times.'' June 13, 1975.
and construction of the
United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...
campus and for the development of Oak Ridge, Tennessee where the atomic bomb was developed. He was a partner of the international architectural firm of
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is an American architectural, urban planning and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel A. Owings, Nathaniel Owings in Chicago, Illinois. In 1939, they were joined by engineer Jo ...
.


Early life

Merrill was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He studied at the
University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
from 1915 through 1917. His education was interrupted by his war time service in the military.Lehman College Art Gallery
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), Merrill bio notes
/ref> During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he served as a
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the
coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...
. When released from the military in 1919, he continued his education. The
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 ...
awarded him a degree in architecture in 1921.


Career

The Chicago architectural firm of Granger and Bollenbacher gave Merrill his first opportunity to practice architecture, and by 1939, Merrill had become the chief architect for the Midwest States for the Federal Housing Administration.


Skidmore, Owings and Merrill

Merril joined
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is an American architectural, urban planning and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel A. Owings, Nathaniel Owings in Chicago, Illinois. In 1939, they were joined by engineer Jo ...
(SOM) in 1939. He is credited with establishing the multi-disciplinary nature of the firm, and the innovative character of SOM’s organization and culture was influenced at an early stage by Merrill and other architectural engineers who later became partners in the practice. SOM defined a new architectural approach of teamwork and total or comprehensive design. The firm undertook the coordination of every aspect of a specific project – design, engineering, landscaping, urban planning and interiors. Major military projects with which Merrill was associated include: * Oak Ridge – Merrill was in charge of developing the secret research campus at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He directed the creation of the secret town which evolved along with the
Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...
. *
Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...
military facilities – Merrill served in the
US Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...
between 1942 and 1946. He directed the development of the permanent US military facilities on Okinawa, including
Kadena Air Base (IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a highly strategic United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific" because of its highl ...
. *
United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...
– Merrill moved between
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
and the
Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
field office to oversee the construction of the new
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
campus Merrill was the working administrative partner on the job. He was also a project spokesman for the project. At one point, Merrill announced that planning proposals for the new campus had abandoned what was perceived as a "radical" chapel design; however, the accordion-like structure is today acknowledged as an iconic symbol. Merrill's death in Colorado Springs, Colorado was reported in the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' on June 13, 1975.


Community leadership

Merrill was a fellow of the
American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...
(AIA); In 1937, he was president of the Chicago Chapter of the AIA. In 1950, Merrill was appointed as a member of the Board of Consultants to the New York State Building Code Commission; and he directed revision of the Chicago Building Code in 1947–1949. Among Merrill's interests outside his profession was his support for
Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of environmental organizations in 73 countries. The organization was founded in 1969 in San Francisco by David Brower, Donald Aitken and Gary Soucie after Brower's split with ...
. In 1969, he lent his name to a campaign to encourage men and women to pledge that they would not buy
fur Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...
coats or any other articles made from skins of wild animals.


Honors

*
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-member ...
(
FAIA Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-member ...
), 1950.


Select works

Merrill's published writings are few. * 1921: ''Design and Comparative Costs of Various Concrete Floor Systems'' (with R.A. Eckles). Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architectural Engineering
OCLC 37815235
* 1962: ''Archiektur von Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, 1950–1962'' (with Louis Skidmore, Ernst Danz, Ernst van Haagen and Nathaniel Owings).Stuttgart: Hatj
OCLC 164879857
ref>WorldCat
Merrill, John O.
/ref>


Notes


References

* Bruegmann, Robert. (1994)
''Modernism at Mid-Century: the Architecture of the United States Air Force Academy.''
Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ;
OCLC 260219357
* Nauman, Robert Allen. (2004)
''On the Wings of Modernism: the United States Air Force Academy.''
Urbana:
University of Illinois Press The University of Illinois Press (UIP) is an American university press and is part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic project ...
.
OCLC 52542599
* Westcott, Ed. (2005)
''Oak Ridge.''
Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing.
OCLC 62511041
* Wilkes, Joseph A. and Robert T. Packard. (1989). ''Encyclopedia of Architecture: Design, Engineering & Construction.'' New York: John Wiley.
OCLC 300305038
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merrill, John O. 1896 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American architects Architects from Colorado University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni Modernist architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill people Fellows of the American Institute of Architects