it has been a while since my last post. Nevertheless, I have big news to share, I moved temporary for 1 year to the United States. I am now a visiting researcher at UCLA. This will give me the chance to see all of Aalto's significant work he did outside Europe. Altogether Alvar Aalto realized four projects in the United States of which three are still existing. These are the Baker House at MIT in Cambridge MA, the Mount Angel Library in St. Benedict OR and the Edgar J. Kaufmann Conference Facility located at the United Nations Plaza in New York City. The Finnish pavilion at the 1939's New York World Fare unfortunately doesn't exist anymore. That Aalto's name is also across the ocean not unknown was I fact I just realized yesterday while browsing through the section which had books about architecture at a store in Santa Monica where I ran in a book about Aalto's Architecture.However, before I left Finland this summer I still visited two brand new and very exicting Aalto sites about which I will tell more as soon as I find time to do so, these are the Paimio Sanatorium and the House of Culture in Helsinki. Besides that I organized also a special Aalto walk through Jyväskylä for a visiting architect from Poland which I documented in pictures. So stay tunned as many more great and new stories about Alvar Aalto's architecture are coming up soon!
The Mt Angel Abbey Library is located in St Benedict, Oregon, not Portland which is 40 miles to the north.
ReplyDeleteI met the Architect in 1967 (I believe) when he came to the Abbey where I was a seminary student, second year college. I was in charge of the theater lighting and set the lighting and other visual presentation materials for his address. I’m sure every architect in the Pacific Northwest was in attendance.
Thank you very much for sharing this interesting piece of history. What was the impression you had of Alvar Aalto?
DeleteHey Stefan, I saw the book Alvaro Aalto by Robert McCarty in your photo. How do you like that book? Do you think it is inclusive for someone who wants to know aalto’s works?
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for your message. I think it is a good book and provides a quite nice overview but I personally prefer John Steward's Alvar Aalto Architect more. I think it give a more holistic picture of Aalto and his work.
DeleteThank you for your blog and all of the photos. I lived in Portland for a few years in the 90's and was fortunate to visit the Mount Angel Library and count that visit as one of the 'natural' wonders that the Northwest includes. His work seems to be such a 'natural' response to the building's challenges from the beginning. His organic approach is as evident in the two dimensional presentations of the building plans as was evident as a visitor/user to the library. Beautifully designed!
ReplyDelete