Stanford White

(1853-1906) An American architect whose work with C. F. McKim and William R. Meade influenced New York City architecture at the turn of the twentieth century. Still standing are his Washington Memorial Arch in Washington Square Park and the elegant Century Club. His special interests were in interior design and decorative arts.

words in context:The first Madison Square Garden in New York City was designed by Stanford White and his partners. White's building was more graceful than his life: He was shot and killed in Madison Square Garden by a jealous husband, Harry K. Thaw, over an affair Whitewas having with Evelyn Nesbitt, Thaw's wife — an incident depicted in the film The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

(1886-1969) Commonly referred to as Mies, this German-American architect was a founder of modern architecture. He took over as director of the Bauhaus from Walter Gropius; later he moved to Chicago to teach in what is now the Illinois Institute of Technology. He pioneered internal structures that could support buildings made entirely of glass, the structural skeletons of buildings being one of his major interests.

words in context:Known for his maxims, as well as for creating the vocabulary of modern architecture, Mies van der Rohecoined the phrases, "Less is more," "God is in the details," and "Form follows function."

Le Corbusier(1887-1965) Born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, this Swiss architect worked in France; his book Towards a New Architecture (1923) had a revolutionary effect on international development of modern architecture. Drawing inspiration from industrial forms, he produced radical schemes for houses and apartments.

words in context: Le Corbu, as he was often known, built a villa near Paris in 1923 and another, Villa Savoie, Poissy, in 1929. His plan for a "vertical city" was partially realized in the Unité d'Habitation, Marseilles (1942-1952). Le Corbusieralso designed the Visual Arts Center at Harvard University (1961-1962).

I. M. Pei

(1917- ) A Chinese-American architect, Pei integrates structure and environment, favoring glass, stone, concrete, and steel. A champion of light, view, and public space, Pei is known for designing giant atriums — and for the design of the huge, glass Pyramids at the Louvre in Paris (1983).

words in context:Among the structures designed by I. M. Peiare the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (1978), the West Wing of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (1981), and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland (1996).