Max Abramovitz (May 23, 1908 – September 12, 2004) was an American architect. He was best known for his work with the New York City firm Harrison & Abramovitz.

Max Abramovitz
Born(1908-05-23)May 23, 1908
DiedSeptember 12, 2004(2004-09-12) (aged 96)
Alma materUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Columbia University School of Architecture, École des Beaux-Arts
OccupationArchitect
AwardsResident of the American Academy in Rome (RAAR 1961)
PracticeHarrison & Abramovitz
BuildingsDavid Geffen Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Phoenix Life Insurance Company Building
Phoenix Life Insurance Company Building, Hartford, Connecticut, 1963
David Geffen Hall, formerly known as Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.
Hilles Library, Radcliffe Quadrangle, Harvard University

Life

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Abramovitz was the son of Romanian Jewish immigrant parents. He graduated in 1929 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Architecture. While at Illinois, Abramovitz was a member of the Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity.[1] He later received an M.S. from Columbia University's architecture school in 1931. He also was the recipient of a two-year fellowship at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris before returning to the US and becoming partners with Wallace Harrison from 1941 to 1976. In 1961, he was an invited resident (RAAR) of the American Academy in Rome.

Abramovitz died in September 2004 in Pound Ridge, New York, at the age of 96. His drawings and archives are held by the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University.[2] Abramovitz also received an honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from the University of Illinois in 1970.

Work

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Brandeis University

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Slosberg Music Center

Abramovitz was a friend and student of Brandeis University president Abram L. Sachar, who recruited him to work on his new campus.[3] For 30 years, Abramovitz oversaw university planning, was a University Fellow and served on its Board of Overseers and the Creative Arts Commission.[3] Abramovitz designed the "vast majority of buildings on the Brandeis campus" during the mid-1950s, including:[3]

Other work

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References

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  1. ^ Friedl, John L. Jr., ed. (1929). Illio (College yearbook). Champaign, Illinois. pp. 472.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Kennedy, Randy (15 September 2004). "Max Abramovitz, 96, Dies, Architect of Avery Fisher Hall". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 Jan 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Building Brandeis: Style and Function of a University". Brandeis University. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  4. ^ a b Bernstein, Gerald S (1999). Building & Campus: An Architectural Celebration of Brandeis University 50th Anniversary. Brandeis University Office of Publications. pp. 34–37. ISBN 0-9620545-1-8.
  5. ^ "The Three Chapels". Building Brandeis. Brandeis University. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Style of a Campus". Building Brandeis. Brandeis University. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Jerome Greene Hall – WikiCU, the Columbia University wiki encyclopedia". www.wikicu.com. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  8. ^ "International Affairs Building – WikiCU, the Columbia University wiki encyclopedia". www.wikicu.com. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
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