Edward Durell Stone

born March 9, 1902, Fayetteville, Ark., U.S.
died Aug. 6, 1978, New York City

American architect who directed the design of a number of significant modern buildings.

Stone studied art at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in 1920–23 and architecture at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1927 he won a two-year scholarship that enabled him to study and travel in Europe, and during that period he was exposed to the modern movement in architecture there. In 1930 Stone joined the New York firm responsible for the design of Radio City Music Hall. He organized his own architectural firm in 1936. He participated in the design of the Museum of Modern Art (1937), the first building in New York City in the International Style. After World War II, in which he served as chief of planning and design for the U.S. Army Air Corps, he became an associate professor of architecture at Yale University (1946–52).

Among Stone's best-known buildings outside the United States are El Panama Hotel, Panama City, Panama (1946), notable for its pioneering use of cantilevered balconies in the construction of a resort hotel; the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi (1954); and the Nuclear Research Center, near Islamabad, Pak. (1966). The embassy in New Delhi, with its lacy grilles and an inner water garden, fountains, and islands of plantings, was well received and led to many foreign commissions. His design for the American Pavilion for the Brussels World's Fair of 1958, a circular structure 340 feet (104 m) in diameter with a free-span translucent roof, also attracted attention.

Examples of Stone's work in the United States include the Fine Arts Center, University of Arkansas (1948); the Gallery of Modern Art, formerly housing the Huntington Hartford collection (1959; now the New York Cultural Center) in New York City; the National Geographic Society headquarters (design completion 1961) in Washington, D.C.; and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (1971), also in Washington, D.C. His skyscrapers include the 50-story General Motors Tower in New York City (design completion 1964) and the 80-story Standard Oil (Indiana) Tower in Chicago (1974; now the Amoco Building).

Stone's autobiography, The Evolution of an Architect, was published in 1962.

Source: "Edward Durell Stone." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2004. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. 1 Sept. 2004 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=71610>

Ellen McCluskey Associates was founded by Ellen Lehman McCluskey in 1948 in New York. As an heir of the Lehman family, of Lehman Brothers fame, Mrs. McCluskey was granted access to many of the country's Fortune 500 business and social leaders. The company became one of the leading interior design firms in the country and over the years Ellen McCluskey Associates became internationally known for its hotel interiors, corporate and commercial installations, and high-end residential clients. Source: http://www.mccluskeydesigngroup.com/historyframe2.html

Mrs.George Tuckerman Draper, otherwise known as, Dorothy Draper became one of the most successful interior decorators of the 1930's and 40's. She is credited as a significant historical figure in the development of the interior design profession and redefined the role of the decorator from 1925 to 1960. She increased the exposure of women in the interior decorating world and of interior decorators, by aggressively pursuing large-scale public commissions, which was an area that was previously exclusive to architects.

Source: http://www.frederickcooper.com/news02.html

Royal Barry Wills won many awards in national design contests and had attention-winning articles published in large popular magazines. Professional journals ran many illustrated pieces about him and his work. It has been said that he "wanted only to design the New England house supremely well and succeeded beyond any other architect."

He grew up in Melrose, Massachusetts, studied four years in the class of 1918 of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, served in the Navy and then worked for William Cramp & Sons shipyard until he joined the Turner Construction Company in the design department. A Boston newspaper published a series of his articles and sketches. This brought him clients who liked his plans and elevations.

He won many prizes and awards in competitions for small houses. At the White House, in 1932, the President presented him with a Gold Medal for outstanding work in domestic architecture. Life Magazine chose him as one of eight architects to design the houses presented to millions of its readers.

"It could almost be called a cult - so great remains the affection in the housing industry for Royal Barry Wills. Few, if any, architects ever commanded such a following - years after his death. His name is still alive, practically the symbol of the ultimate objective in the hopes of countless couples planning or buying a house. This tribute. . . belongs in no small measure to his associates, . . . who are adding their individual design talents to the task of improving our environment."

-William E. Dorman, Real Estate Editor, Boston Herald Traveler

Source: dustjacket, Houses for Good Living by Royal Barry Wills Associates, Architectural Book Publishing Company, Stamford, CT., 1993.