Pietro Belluschi (1899-1994) was the last survivor of a generation of European immigrants who had a major impact on American architecture. This extensively illustrated study of Belluschi's life and work sheds critical light on the remarkable accomplishments of the AIA Gold Medalist and designer (by his own estimate) of more than 1,000 buildings and projects. The book reveals the enormous power that Belluschi wielded as an arbiter of taste and a decision-maker in the 1950s and 1960s; his role in shaping the policy of the State Department in its overseas building program; and his role in securing major commissions for favored architects such as I. M. Pei. The book also discusses Belluschi's role in the development of regionalism in the Pacific Northwest and its impact on the definition of modernism as it was emerging in the United States.
This is the first full-scale monograph on Belluschi, a talented Italian designer who emigrated to this country in the 1930s and became a major modern American architect in the 1950s and 1960s. Some measure of Belluschi's importance is conveyed by the buildings and projects he designed or contributed to: the Pan Am Building and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, both in New York City, and the Equitable Insurance Company Tower in Portland, Oregon. The Equitable building was one of the first fully industrialized, international-style skyscrapers in the United States. Measured by the respect of his peers, Belluschi's influence is readily apparent; he won the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects in 1972 and also served as dean of the M.I.T. School of Architecture. He was not only internationally known but also a fine regional architect specializing in the wood-frame modern idiom of the Pacific Northwest. Clausen's (architectural history, Univ. of Washington) research is meticulous and her writing engaging. Recommended for larger public and academic architecture collections.-Peter Kaufman, Boston Architectural Ctr. Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information.
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