Henry Klumb
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Heinrich Klumb (1905 in
Cologne, Germany Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...
– 1984 in
San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the juri ...
) was a German
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
who worked in Puerto Rico during the mid 20th Century.


Education and early life

Klumb was born in
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
, Germany, in 1905. An honors graduate of the Staatliche Bauschule School of Architecture in Cologne in 1926, his design education in Germany was influenced by the
Deutsche Werkbund The Deutscher Werkbund (English: "German Association of Craftsmen"; ) is a German association of artists, architects, designers and industrialists established in 1907. The Werkbund became an important element in the development of modern arch ...
school, a fine arts program developed by German architect
Herman Muthesius Adam Gottlieb Hermann Muthesius (20 April 1861 – 29 October 1927), known as Hermann Muthesius, was a German architect, author and diplomat, perhaps best known for promoting many of the ideas of the English Arts and Crafts movement within German ...
. Klumb emigrated to the United States in 1927, at the age of 22. He served as one of
Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
's first apprentices (1929–1933) at
Taliesin Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the '' Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to have sung at the courts ...
in Spring Green, Wisconsin. While under Wright's apprenticeship, Klumb worked on the design of the Ocotillo Desert Camp near Phoenix, and led the exhibition of Wright's work in Europe in 1931. In August, 1931, while coordinating a Frank Lloyd Wright travelling exhibit, Klumb married Else Schmidt, returning to the United States in November of that year. They had two children, Peter (born 1936), and Richard (born 1940). Klumb became a US citizen in 1937. Klumb left Taliesin in 1933. In 1937 he established, along with Louis I. Kahn and Louis Metzinger, the Cooperative Planners firm in Philadelphia concentrating in the design of low-cost pre-fabricated houses. He also designed a major exhibition of Native American Art for the
Golden Gate International Exposition The Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) (1939 and 1940), held at San Francisco's Treasure Island, was a World's Fair celebrating, among other things, the city's two newly built bridges. The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opened in 1936 ...
of 1939 in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
, where he lived before relocating to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
in 1941. In Los Angeles, he helped develop the city's master plan. He was responsible for the design of the Battaglia, Coty and Meador houses in Burbank, CA, as well as the Plumb house in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
during that period. Also in 1941, Klumb designed residential properties in the planned community of
Greenbelt, Maryland Greenbelt is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and a suburb of Washington, D.C. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,921. Greenbelt is the first and the largest of the three experimental and controversial New D ...
, although the war prevented construction.


Career

Having met New Deal
brain trust Brain trust was a term that originally described a group of close advisers to a political candidate or incumbent; these were often academics who were prized for their expertise in particular fields. The term is most associated with the group of ad ...
planner
Rexford Tugwell Rexford Guy Tugwell (July 10, 1891 – July 21, 1979) was an American economist who became part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's first "Brain Trust", a group of Columbia University academics who helped develop policy recommendations leading up to R ...
in the late 1930s, he was invited to move to Puerto Rico in 1944 and collaborate in the design of post-war modern Puerto Rico. He left Los Angeles on February 24, 1944, and settled in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where devoted most of the rest of his life designing many buildings there. Shortly after his arrival in Puerto Rico, Klumb worked in the Public Works Design Committee, where he was responsible for the design of multiple government structures in Puerto Rico. He also founded, along with Stephen Arneson, the ARKLU furniture factory, which produced distinctive tropical furniture utilizing native woods, leather and cord. Klumb also incorporated this tropical style of architecture in the design of his own home, Casa Klumb, which he began building in 1947. His most important work on the island was the campus master plan for the
University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...
from 1946 to 1966, as well as the design of many of its buildings. These included the Río Piedras Faculty Residences in 1946, the Río Piedras Agricultural Experimental Station, the UPR Museum of Anthropology, History and Art, the UPR General Library, the UPR Student Center in Río Piedras, the Agricultural Sciences Building in Mayagüez, an expansion of the UPR School of Tropical Medicine building in Puerta de Tierra and the UPR Law School building, among others. His public sector work attracted many private commissions, including private residences, churches and commercial buildings. His private design commissions, include the design of the campus and church of the
Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola is a private, Catholic, Jesuit, all-male college-preparatory school run by the U.S. Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1952.
School, the San Ignacio of Loyola Parish, the La Rada Hotel, and the landmark churches Iglesia del Carmen and San Martin de Porres in Cataño. Later in life, his design work concentrated in work for several emerging pharmaceutical firms, including Eli Lilly, Parke-Davis, Baxter, Roche, Searle and Travenol.


Later years and legacy

In 1968, he established the Klumb Foundation. In 1979, Klumb was elected to the College of Fellows 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 ...
. On November 20, 1984, he and his wife Else died in an automobile accident in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Throughout his life, Klumb mentored young Puerto Rican architects as well as talented young architects from the US mainland. These include Salvador Soltero, Segundo Cardona FAIA, Beatriz del Cueto FAIA and George McClintock.


Chronology

* 1905: Born on February 24 in
Cologne, Germany Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...
. * 1918: Decides to become architect. * 1926: Graduates with honors from the School of Architecture (Staatliche Bauschule) in Cologne. * 1928: Applies for job with
Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
. * 1929: Begins working with Wright in
Taliesin Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the '' Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to have sung at the courts ...
. From January to May, works at the Ocatilla camp in Arizona. * 1931: On March 1, takes an exhibit of Wright's work to Europe. In August, marries Else Schmidt. In November, returns to the United States. * 1933: Leaves Taliesin and moves to
Brainerd, Minnesota Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14,395 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County. Brainerd straddles the Mississippi River several miles upstream from its confluence with ...
. Forms partnership with Stephen Arneson. * 1934: Moves to
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
* 1936: His first son, Peter, is born. * 1937: In partnership with Louis I. Kahn on several projects. Obtains US citizenship. * 1939: In August, moves to California. Begins working with the Department of the Interior in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Designs exhibit Indian Arts and Crafts for the Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco. * 1940: His second son, Richard, is born. * 1941: Exhibit Indian Arts and Crafts opens at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. * 1942: Begins work as architectural planner in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. * 1944: On February 24, moves to
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
. Begins working with the Public Works Design Committee. With Stephen Arneson, establishes the ARKLU furniture factory. * 1945: Works for the Puerto Rico Housing Authority. Begins private practice; firm known as The Office of Henry Klumb. Takes part in the design competition for the
Caribe Hilton The Caribe Hilton is located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is owned by Park Hotels & Resorts and managed by Hilton Worldwide. History In early 1946, as part of the Puerto Rican industrialization effort known as Operation Bootstrap, the Puerto R ...
. * 1946: Designs faculty residences at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. Designs the New York Department Store in Santurce. * 1948: Designs the San Martín de Porres Sanctuary in Bayview, Cataño. * 1953: Creates master plan for the Río Piedras and Mayagüez campuses of the University of Puerto Rico. * 1957: Begins designs for the Parke, Davis pharmaceutical plant in Carolina. * 1968: Establishes the Klumb Foundation. * 1979: 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 ...
makes him the first Fellow in Puerto Rico. * 1981: The Puerto Rico Architects Association awards him the first Henry Klumb Award. Begins designs for the
Ciba-Geigy Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loca ...
pharmaceutical plant in New Jersey. * 1984: On November 20, dies with his wife Else in a car crash in Hato Rey.


Projects

Henry Klumb's projects included: * University of Puerto Rico / Rio Piedras Campus Master Plan, San Juan, Puerto Rico. * University of Puerto Rico / Mayaguez Campus Master Plan, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. * Colegio San Ignacio / Campus and buildings, San Juan, Puerto Rico.


Buildings

* Centro de Estudiantes, UPR-Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. * Biblioteca José M. Lázaro, UPR-Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. * Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, UPR-Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. * Centro de la Facultad, UPR-Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. * UPR Law School Building, UPR-Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. * Servicios Médicos, UPR-Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. * Edificio Vaquería Experimental, UPR-Estacion Experimental Agícola, Gurabo, Puerto Rico. * Casa Fullana, San Juan, Puerto Rico. * Iglesia San Martín de Porres, Cataño, Puerto Rico. * Iglesia San Ignacio, San Juan, Puerto Rico. * Hotel La Rada, San Juan, Puerto Rico. * UPRM General Library, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico * Rafael A. Mangual Coliseum, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico * Casa Klumb, #1 Ramon B. Lopez St.,
San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the juri ...
, listed on 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 ...
*Francis E. and Clara M. Perkins House, 9411 St. Andrews Way, Silver Spring, Maryland, 1940.


Accolades

In 1981, the Colegio de Arquitectos de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico College of Architects) established the Henry Klumb Award, the College's highest honor (and Puerto Rico's main architecture prize). The list of recipients for the Henry Klumb Award includes architects Jesús Eduardo Amaral, Segundo Cardona, Jorge Rigau, and Andrés Mignucci. The Architecture and Construction Archives at the University of Puerto Rico (AACUPR) holds the Henry Klumb Collection (1926–1984). Approximately in size, the collection contains architectural drawings, photographs, models, artifacts, audiovisual material, and various textual documents. The Architectural Drawing Series holds 578 projects intellectually organized in two sub-groups: work in the United States and in Puerto Rico before 1945 and documents from The Office of Henry Klumb. The University of Puerto Rico acquired the Klumb archives in 1986, following the architect's death in 1984, and then they were transferred to the School of Architecture.


See also

* List of Puerto Ricans - Architects *
German immigration to Puerto Rico German immigration to Puerto Rico began in the early part of the 19th century and continued to increase when German businessmen immigrated and established themselves with their families on the island. However, it was the economic and political s ...


Notes


References

*Fernández, José. "Architecture in Puerto Rico" (1966), Architectural Publishing Company. *Mignucci, Andrés. "Arquitectura Contemporanea en Puerto Rico 1976-1992" (1992), American Institute of Architects Capítulo de Puerto Rico. *Vivoni Farage, Enrique, (ed). "KLUMB: An Architecture of Social Concern" (2006), La Editorial Universidad de Puerto Rico, . *Figueroa Jiménez, Jósean; Vivoni González, Edric. "Henry Klumb: Principios para una arquitectura de integración (2007), Colegio de Arquitectos de Puerto Rico, . *Vázquez-Pérez, José Fernando. "Henry Klumb: Tropical Tropes" (2006), Modernism Magazine, ISSN 1098-8211.


See also

*
Architecture of Puerto Rico The architecture of Puerto Rico demonstrates a broad variety of architectural styles and built forms over the country's history of over four centuries of former Spanish rule, and over a century of American rule. Puerto Rico's architecture is as div ...
*
Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...


External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20080401130200/http://www.universia.pr/klumb/index_ingles.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20050213141040/http://www.universia.pr/klumb/i_crono.html The Henry Klumb Collection electronic finding aid may be consulted through http://hip.upr.edu:85/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=aac--1#focus {{DEFAULTSORT:Klumb, Henry (Heinrich) Architects from Cologne German emigrants to Puerto Rico Puerto Rican architects Fellows of the American Institute of Architects 1905 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American architects