Henry Hope Reed Jr. (September 25, 1915 – May 1, 2013) was an American

architecture critic Architecture criticism is the critique of architecture. Everyday criticism relates to published or broadcast critiques of buildings, whether completed or not, both in terms of news and other criteria. In many cases, criticism amounts to an assessmen ...

known for his advocacy of

classical architecture Classical architecture typically refers to architecture consciously derived from the principles of Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more specifically, from ''De archit ...

and his outspoken criticism of

modernist architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural architectural movement, movement and architectural style, style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco Architectu ...

Life

Born in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, Reed earned a degree in history from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1938. He also studied decorative arts at the

École du Louvre The École du Louvre () is a selective institution of higher education and prestigious ''grande école'' located in the Aile de Flore of the Louvre Palace in Paris, France. It is dedicated to the study of archaeology, art history, anthropology ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. In 1952, he published his first work critical of modernism, a point of view he held until his death. Reed lectured in the Department of Urban Planning at the

University of Yale Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, made research on architecture and urbanism, gave walking tours of

’s historic architecture and neighborhoods, and published the book ''The Golden City'' in 1959. Following several books advocating

preservation Preservation may refer to: Heritage and conservation * Preservation (library and archival science), activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record while making as few changes as possible * ''Preservation'' (magazine), published by the Nat ...

of classical architecture in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Reed was named

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

in 1966, thus becoming the first curator of NYC parks.Blumenthal, Ralph (January 20, 1966). 2 City Parks Get First Curators; Hoving Names Reed to Be the Overseer of Central Park. ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' Reed co-founded ''Classical America'', an organization committed to a resurgence of classical design, urbanism and architecture. It merged with The Institute of Classical Architecture in 2002. The Henry Hope Reed Award was established in 2005, named in honor of Reed's legacy. It is awarded by the

Notre Dame School of Architecture The University of Notre Dame School of Architecture is the architecture school at the University of Notre Dame. It was the first Catholic university in America to offer a degree in architecture, beginning in 1898. History Architecture as a discip ...

and sponsored by the

Richard Driehaus Richard Herman Driehaus (; July 28, 1942 – March 9, 2021) was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder, chief investment officer, and chairman of the hedge fund Driehaus Capital Management LLC, based in Chicago. ...

Foundation. The prize is given to an individual working outside the practice of architecture who has supported the cultivation of the traditional city, its

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

and

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

through writing,

planning Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. Some researchers regard the evolution of forethought - the cap ...

or promotion. It is awarded in conjunction with the

Driehaus Architecture Prize The Driehaus Architecture Prize, fully named The Richard H. Driehaus Prize at the University of Notre Dame, is a global award to honor a major contributor in the field of contemporary traditional and classical architecture. The Driehaus Prize was ...

. Reed died on May 1, 2013, at his home in

. He was 97. Reed's wife, the former Constance Culbertson Feeley, died in 2007. He left no immediate survivors.

Works

Reed authored multiple books, including: *''The Golden City'', 1959 *''American Skyline'', with

Christopher Tunnard Arthur Coney Tunnard (1910 in Victoria, British Columbia – 1979), later known as Christopher Tunnard, was a Canadian-born landscape architect, garden designer, city-planner, and author of ''Gardens in the Modern Landscape'' (1938). Biography ...

*''Central Park: A History and a Guide'', with Sophia Duckworth *''The Library of Congress'', with

John Y. Cole John Y. Cole (born July 30, 1940) is an American librarian, historian, and author. He was the founding director of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress and in 2016 became the first official historian of the Library of Congress. Edu ...

*''The New York Public Library'', with Francis Morrone *''Classical America Series in Art and Architecture'', co-editor *''The United States Capitol: Its Architecture and Decoration'' *''The U.S. Capitol: Its Lesson for Today''

References

External links

Francis Morrone, "How Henry Hope Reed Saved Architecture"Henry Hope Reed
inaugural prize introduction for the Henry Hope Reed Award in 2005 at

Henry Hope Reed, Jr.'s obituary

Henry Hope Reed papers, 1911-1998 Held in the Dept. of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York City
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Henry Hope Jr. Harvard College alumni 1915 births 2013 deaths People from Manhattan American architecture writers American male non-fiction writers New Classical architects Architecture critics