Loebl Schlossman & Hackl

Loebl Schlossman & Hackl is an American architecture firm based in Chicago, Illinois.

Two Prudential Plaza, Chicago, 1990

Founded in 1925[1] and known by various names through the years, the firm is responsible for the design of several major Chicago landmarks including the 1975 Water Tower Place and the 1990 Two Prudential Plaza.

History

The firm's first major project was the Temple Sholom at 3480 N. Lake Shore Drive. Armour Institute students Jerrold Loebl (1899-1978)[2] and Norman J. Schlossman (1901-1990) largely developed the design while in school. With a third architect John DeMuth, the young team was named as associate architects for the project, behind leads Coolidge and Hodgdon.

In the war years Loebl and Schlossman concentrated on war-related public housing projects on government contracts. This included some 500 units in Seymour, Indiana and Rosiclaire, Illinois. Further projects for the Chicago Housing Authority included the West Chesterfield Homes in 1944, Wentworth Gardens in 1946, and the 800 units in mid-rise, six-story, and nine-story residential towers on the 16 acres of the south-side Dearborn Homes in 1950.

The firm expanded with the addition of Richard M. Bennett (1907-1996), who had been chairman of the Yale Architecture Department,[3] in 1947. Bennett took the lead in the site plan and the architectural components of the suburban planned community of Park Forest, Illinois, which occupied the firm for years. The town's innovative 1949 Park Forest Plaza shopping center developed into another sideline for the firm: a genre of rambling, cleverly landscaped, village-like outdoor malls. These include Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie, Illinois in 1956, and the 1962 Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook.

Designer Edward D. Dart joined in 1965 and triggered another wave of ambitious projects. Bennett left in 1974 to teach at the Harvard Graduate School of Design; Dart's career hadn't peaked when he died of an aneurysm in July 1975.

The firm continues in business as of 2017. It has operated as:[4]

  • Loebl and Schlossman (1925)
  • Loebl, Schlossman and DeMuth (1926-c.1933)
  • Loebl and Schlossman (c.1933-1946)
  • Loebl, Schlossman and Bennett (1947-1965)
  • Loebl, Schlossman, Bennett and Dart (1965-1975)
  • Loebl Schlossman & Hackl (1976- )

Work

All structures are in Chicago unless otherwise noted:

References
  1. "Find an architect". AIA Chicago. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  2. "Architect Jerrold Loebl Dies at 79 Rites Wednesday". Chicago Tribune. 3 October 1978. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  3. Gapp, Paul (22 September 1985). "Saluting Richard Bennett, A Low-key Creative Force For Sensitive Design". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  4. "Norman Schlossman Collection finding aid". Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  5. Kamin, Blair (22 March 2009). "CHA architecture gets it right with Dearborn Homes". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  6. Young, David (11 November 1991). "Park Forest Dilemma: What Happens When Mall Grows Old?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  7. "Norman Schlossman Collection finding aid". Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  8. Gapp, Paul (25 November 1984). "The building style that touches us all - welcome to the mall". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  9. "Water Tower Place - Chicago, Illinois". Concrete Contractor. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.