William J. Rupp (August 25, 1927 – February 7, 2002) was one of the modernist American architects considered part the

Sarasota School of Architecture The Sarasota School of Architecture, sometimes called Sarasota Modern, is a regional style of post-war modern architecture (1941–1966) that emerged on Florida's Central West Coast, in and around the city of Sarasota, Florida. It is characterize ...

Early life and education

Rupp was born on August 25, 1927, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, to Frank J. and Sarah Viola Rupp. At eighteen, Rupp was inducted into the U.S. Army as an infantryman. After an extended period of military service, during which time he moved to Florida, he remained in the military reserves until he was honorably discharged in 1955. Post active service, Rupp attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, graduating in 1953 with

Phi Kappa Phi The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (or simply Phi Kappa Phi or ) is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study, and to promote the "unity and democracy of education ...

honors in design (architecture). In 1957, he married Gwendolyn Marie O'Rourke.

Career in Sarasota

Upon graduation, Rupp worked with founding Sarasota School of Architecture member Paul Rudolph, eventually managing Rudolph's Sarasota office. In 1955, Rudolph left Florida for New York City, and Rupp opened a private architectural practice at 224 South Orange Avenue, downtown Sarasota. During the next several years, Rupp worked closely with his architectural peers in Sarasota;

Ralph Twitchell Ralph Spencer Twitchell (July 27, 1890 – January 30, 1978) was one of the founding members of the Sarasota School of Architecture. He is considered the father of the group of modernist architecture practitioners, that includes Paul ...

Jack West John Melville West (17 February 1889 – 30 March 1960) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne and University in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Military service He was both a footballer and a resident master at Me ...

, Gene Leedy,

Tim Seibert Edward John "Tim" Seibert (September 27, 1927—December 2, 2018) was an architect based in Sarasota, Florida. Seibert was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and one of the founders of the modern movement known as the Sarasota Schoo ...

Victor Lundy Victor Alfred Lundy (born February 1, 1923) is an American architect. An exemplar of modernist architecture, he was one of the leaders of the Sarasota School of Architecture. His Warm Mineral Springs Motel, outside Warm Mineral Springs, Florid ...

, and Bert Brosmith. In 1959, he formed Associated Architects with friend and fellow architect Joseph Farrell. Although this partnership lasted two years, they produced several significant works, including Uhr Residence-Studio, Rupp Home, Kirsch House, Caladesi National Bank in Dunedin, the Pavilion House, and the dining pavilion at the

Ringling Museum of Art The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the official state art museum of Florida, located in Sarasota, Florida. It was established in 1927 as the legacy of Mable Burton Ringling and John Ringling for the people of Florida. Florida State Univ ...

. In 1959, Clarence Scott commissioned Rupp and Farrell to design a commercial building that would serve as a showroom for the Barkus Furniture Company. Rupp and Farrell designed the building the following year. The building displays the characteristics of the

in planning and design, which was a prominent design in

Central Florida Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Gr ...

. The building features a

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

exterior, large

picture windows ''Picture Windows'' is an American television miniseries that aired on Showtime in 1995. It consists of six short films, each inspired by a different iconic painting, matched with a story by a renowned author, and directed by a prominent filmmake ...

, and large extending

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

rafter A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members such as wooden beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the wall plate, downslope perimeter or eave, and that are designed to support the roof shingles, roof deck and its associated ...

beams. The Scott Commercial Building was widely recognized as a ground-breaking design utilizing prefabricated concrete structural members. Acknowledging this important architectural achievement, the building was restored, renamed ''McCulloch Pavilion'', and added to the

U.S. National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2017. In 1962, Rupp was featured in a special edition of

Life Magazine ''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...

, in an article entitled
''The Takeover Generation – The 100 Most Outstanding Young Men and Women in the United States''
In 1965, Rupp moved his architectural practice to

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...

, where he worked on several projects; including three apartment complexes, an animal clinic, a restaurant, and his own residence.

Principal projects in Sarasota

* Davis Residence, Sarasota (with Paul Rudolph, 1953) * Tastee Freez, Sarasota (with Paul Rudolph, 1954) * Beach Pavilion, Manasota Key (1956) * Wilson Residence, Sarasota (1956) * Kirsch House, Sarasota (1957) * Willis Residence, Sarasota (1957) * Hatt Residence, Sarasota (1958) * Brentwood Elementary School (associated with Gene Leedy) (1959) * Kiekhaefer/Mercury Marine Florida Distribution Center, Sarasota-Bradenton Airport (1959) * Scott Building, Sarasota (with Joe Farrell, associate) (1960)
Rupp Residence
42nd St., Sarasota (1960) * Doyle Residence, 42nd St., Sarasota. (1960) Renovated 2007 Seibert Architects. * Dining Pavilion: Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota (1961) * Uhr Studio, Sarasota (1961) * Bowling Green Subdivision and Model Houses, Fort Myers (1962) * Wilcox Residence, Sarasota (1962) * Everglades City Villas; Development and Model houses (1963) * Fast Food Restaurant, Sarasota (1963) * Markowitz Residence, Sarasota (1964)

Moving north

In 1968, Rupp joined Morris Ketchum Jr. & Associates in New York as an associate architect. During that time, he developed several renovations and exhibits for

The Bronx Zoo The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...

and New York Aquarium. In 1972, he moved to

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a New England town, town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (althoug ...

, working with Callister, Payne & Bischoff, Architects and Community Planners. He went into private practice in the mid-1970s. Rupp became a lecturer on architecture at the

University of Massachusetts, Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, i ...

, eventually obtaining a full-time teaching appointment. By 1978, he was Director of the Architectural Studies Program and the Interior Design Program. In 1989, Rupp co-authored and published the architectural textbook, ''Construction Materials for Interior Design: Principles of Structure and Properties of Materials''. He retired in 1995 and died in 2002 in

Montague, Massachusetts Montague is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,580 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan statistical area. The villages of Montague Center, Montague City, Lake ...

Awards and citations

* 1960 ''Architectural Record, ''Award for Excellence, House Design * 1961 ''Progressive Architecture'' Design Award, for Caladesi National Bank, Dunedin, FL * 1962 ''Progressive Architecture'' Design Award, for the Uhr Studio, Sarasota FL * 1963 "Gli Giovani Architetti Americani" Italian Exhibition * 1964 American Institute of Architects (New York Chapter) for th
Uhr Studio

Publications

* 1958 Willis Residence, ''Arts and Architecture'' * 1959 Willis Residence, ''House and Home ''(February) * 1959 Brentwood Elementary School, ''Architectural Record'' (February)
''Architectural Forum'' (February)
''Florida Architect'' (March) * 1960 Hatt Residence, ''Architectural Record'' (May) * 1961 Caladesi National Bank, ''Progressive Architecture'' (January), ''Florida Architect'', (August) * 1961 Ringling Museum Pavilion
''Architectural Forum'' (August)
* 1962 Uhr Studio, ''Progressive Architecture'' (September), ''L'Architecture d'Aujour d'Hui'' (October) * 1962 Wilcox Residence, ''Architectural Design Preview USA'', Reinhold Publishing Co. * 1963 Project House Sarasota, ''American Home'' (June) * 1964 Bowling Green Subdivision, ''House and Home'' (September) * 1965 Uhr Studio, ''Casabella'' (September) * 1965 Everglades City Villas, ''Family Circle'' (August) * 1966 Uhr Studio, ''American Home'' (May) * 1976 Scott Building
''Florida Architect'' (October)
* 1983 ''Florida Architect'' (winter) "Sarasota School of Architects" pp. 12–15 color * 2010 Hauser Magazine, ''"''Florida's Gentle Modernism''"'' by Andres Lepik; Undine Prohl.

Bibliography

The following architectural resource books feature the work of architect William Rupp: * * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rupp, William People from Sarasota, Florida 1927 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American architects University of Florida alumni Architects from Florida Modernist architects from the United States