Ulrich Joseph Franzen (January 15, 1921 – October 6, 2012) was a German-born American architect known for his "fortresslike" buildings and Brutalist style.
Life and career Franzen was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, the son of Eric and Lisbeth Hellersberg Franzen. They emigrated to the United States in 1936. He lived with his mother and a younger brother once his parents divorced. He obtained an undergraduate degree from Williams College, and after one semester at the architectural school at Harvard University, joined the Army. After World War II ended, he obtained a master's degree from Harvard in 1950. By 1951, he was working for I. M. Pei. He left Pei and formed his own firm, Ulrich Franzen & Associates, in 1955.The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art, Volume 1, p. 268 (2011)
The Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas, which was completed in 1968, was Franzen's first prominent solo project.Gonzales, J.R. (14 October 2012). Ulrich Franzen, Alley Theatre architect, dies at 91 , Houston Chronicle Franzen also designed the headquarters for the Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee, WI (completed 1976). His other notable projects include the East and West towers at Hunter College (completed in 1984 after a long delay due to the financial crisis in New York City), and the Philip Morris headquarters in New York City (completed in 1982).
Franzen died on October 6, 2012, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, survived by his wife Josephine. He was 91.
Notable works
1957: Towers House, Essex, Connecticut 1958: Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion, Long Island City, New York 1958: Beattie House, Rye, New York(29 September 1958). Homes That Achieve Most in Livability, Life (magazine), at p. 62-63. 1959: Weissman House, Rye, New York 1961: Miller/Efinger House ("Prism in the Pines"), Brewster, New YorkProgressive Architecture, May 1961, pp. 126-9. (The house has since been demolished by a subsequent owner.) 1963: Bernstein House, Great Neck, New York 1963: Dana House, New Canaan, Connecticut 1963: Whiting Dress Factory, Pleasantville, New York 1964: Castle House, New London, ConnecticutDufresne, Bethe (1 October 2010). , South Florida Sun-Sentinel (originally published in the Hartford Courant) 1965: Buttenweiser House, Mamaroneck, New York(13 August 1965) A Fortress by the Sea, Life (magazine), at p. 82 (article on Buttenweiser house with photographs) 1966: The Folly at Field Farm, Williamstown, Massachusetts 1968-1970: Paraphernalia Store, Lexington Avenue, New York City, New York 1968: Bradfield Hall (agronomy building), Ithaca, New York(22 December 1968). Tower Is Highest Above Cayuga; Tower Lab For Cornell, The New York Times 1968: Emerson Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 1968: Alley Theatre, Houston, TexasBarnes, Clive (2 December 1968). Alley Theatre Opens In Houston, St. Petersburg Times (reprint of article from The New York Times) 1969: “The Street” Urban Concept 1969-1972: University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 1969-1972: Harpers Ferry Center, West Virginia 1969: The Cooper Union, New York City, New York (Entwurf) 1970: First Unitarian Church, Richmond, Virginia 1974-1975: Franzen Penthouse, New York City, New York 1974-1978: The Harlem School of the Arts, New York City, New York 1974: First City National Bank, Binghamton, New York 1974: Multi-Cat Research Tower (Veterinary School) at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 1974: The Evolving City 1975-1984: Hunter College, New York City, New York 1978-1979: Franzen House, Bridgehampton, New York 1978: Krauss House, Old Westbury, New York 1980-1981: University Center at University of Michigan, Flint, Michigan 1980-1982: Miller Brewing Visitors Centers 1981: Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Ithaca, New York 1983: Champion International, Stamford, Connecticut 1984: Philip Morris Headquarters, New York City 1985: Glimcher House, Long Island, New York 1994: Morris House, Greenwich, Connecticut
References
Further reading Blake, Peter. The Architecture of Ulrich Franzen: Selected Works (Birkhäuser Basel 1999) ()
External links The Architecture of Ulrich Franzen: An Inventory, Special Collections, Frances Loeb Library, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University.