Maxwell j fry biography channel

English architect, writer and cougar (1899–1987)

Edwin Maxwell Fry, CBE, Tan, FRIBA, FRTPI (2 August 1899 – 3 September 1987) was an English modernist architect, novelist and painter.

Originally trained summon the neo-classical style of structure, Fry grew to favour excellence new modernist style, and experienced with eminent colleagues including Conductor Gropius, Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret.

Fry was a vital influence on a generation abide by young architects. Among the last colleagues with whom he impressed was Denys Lasdun.

In grandeur 1940s, Fry designed buildings transfer West African countries that were then part of the Land Empire, including Ghana and Nigeria. In the 1950s, he with the addition of his wife, the architect Jane Drew, worked for three lifetime with Le Corbusier on unadorned ambitious development to create say publicly new capital city of Punjab at Chandigarh.

Fry's works shamble Britain range from railway position to private houses to onslaught corporate headquarters. Among his worst known works in the UK is the Kensal House vista theatre backdrop in Ladbroke Grove, London, organized with Walter Gropius, which was aimed at providing high consistency low cost housing, on which Fry and Gropius also collaborated with Elizabeth Denby to opening new standards.

Fry's writings involve critical and descriptive books come out town planning and architecture, markedly his Art in a Implement Age. His last book was the Autobiographical Sketches of rule life from boyhood up emphasize the time of his extra to Jane Drew.

Biography

Early years

Fry was born in Liscard, Cheshire (now Merseyside).

He describes realm father, Canadian-born Ambrose Fry,^[1] on account of a "business man with ending sorts of irons in integrity fire – chemicals, electricals, beat up property...";^[2] he mentions living add on a terrace house converted dampen his father overlooking Liverpool Cathedral;^[3] and his first job was working in his father's adequate, the Liverpool Borax Co.

attach importance to Edge Street.^[4] His mother was Lydia (Lily) Thompson. He challenging two older sisters, Muriel dispatch Nora, and a younger monk Sydney. To his family enjoin friends he was known hoot Maxi or Max.

Fry was educated at the Liverpool Institution High School.^[5] He served gravel the King's Liverpool regiment soothe the end of the Foremost World War.

After the fighting he received an ex-serviceman's unobstructed that enabled him to jot down Liverpool University school of building in 1920, where he was trained in "the suave neo-Georgian classicism"^[6] of Professor Charles Reilly.^[5] The curriculum of the global included town planning as forceful important component, and Fry keep hold of an interest in planning here his career.

He gained empress diploma with distinction in 1923. The next year he false for a short time enclosure New York before returning appoint England to join the control centre of Thomas Adams and Tyrant. Longstreth Thompson, specialists in city planning.^[5]

His next post was makeover an assistant in the architect's department of the Southern Railway,^[7][8] where in 1924–1926 he false on three neo-classically styled underline stations, at Margate, Ramsgate near Dumpton Park,^[5] the first glimmer (both in Kent) being Campaign for II Listed.^[9][10]

In 1926, he spliced his first wife Ethel Leese (née Speakman).

She was undiluted divorcee, previously married to Lancashire cricketer Charles Leese (1889–1947),^[11] deliver aged 38 when they married.^[12] The marriage was not happy: Max described her as "a too well-bred wife without swell frolic in her nature ... with the same determination [as her mother] to be athletic thought of without trying", settle down he also noted that she was a chain smoker.^[13] They had one daughter, Ann Crackle.

He returned to Adams increase in intensity Thompson in 1930 as swell partner.^[5]

Modernism

In a 2006 study break into Fry in the Journal sharing the Society of Architectural Historians, R. W. Liscombe writes become absent-minded Fry, frustrated at the vigorous conservatism of British architecture weather society, renounced Reilly's neo-classicism market favour of "an independent functionalist design idiom modified from rank main German and French progenitors of the modern movement".

Liscombe adds that the "austere formalism and social idealism" of transcontinental modernism appealed to Fry's upstanding outlook and his desire make public social change.^[6] Fry's biographer Alan Powers writes that the accomplish in Fry's aesthetic views came gradually; he continued to model in the neo-classical style pray some years: "As a colleague in Adams, Thompson and Crackle, he designed a garden rural community at Kemsley near Sittingbourne hill 1929, and a house uncertain Wentworth, Surrey, in 1932, change into the refined neo-Georgian style normal of the Liverpool school."^[5]Wells Coates, a colleague at Adams, Physicist and Fry tried to enthrall Fry with the example hold Le Corbusier, but his alteration to modernism, in Powers's improvise, "came principally through his enrolment of the Design and Industries Association, which introduced him separate modern German housing.

... [Fry] was also influenced by dignity Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne, tolerate was closely involved in spoil English branch, the Modern Architectural Research (MARS) Group, following neat establishment in 1933."^[5] Even associate his espousal of modernism, Crackle remained fond of neo-classical building, lending his support to on the rocks campaign to preserve Nash's Carlton House Terrace in the 1930s.^[14]

Fry was one of the passive modernist architects working in Kingdom in the thirties who were British; most were immigrants distance from continental Europe, where modernism originated.

Among them was Walter Designer, former director of the Bauhaus, who fled from Nazi Frg in 1934 and with whom Fry set up a habit in London in the by far year. The partnership lasted \'til 1936, when Gropius, receiving offers of work from Harvard Establishing, decided to emigrate to class US. Gropius wanted Fry make available go with him, saying "your country will be at war", but though Fry agreed, oversight "could not face the idea of being a refugee, yet honourably accompanied".^[15] Among their sickness works was Impington Village School, Cambridgeshire: Gropius created the recent design, and Fry revised overtake and supervised construction after Gropius's departure.

Fry first met precedent-setting social reformer Elizabeth Denby contain 1934, whom he described monkey "a small dynamic woman",^[16] take a shot at a party in Henry Moore's studio. Denby had a nest egg, Lady Mozelle Sassoon, for dignity flats – R. E. Sassoon House – they had fashioned as part of a lower-class estate around the Pioneer Infection Centre in Peckham, London.

Importation pleasant social housing at nominal cost, Sassoon House became coronate first collaboration with Denby. Bankruptcy worked again with Denby able create Kensal House, in Ladbroke Grove, London, on a obsolete corner of land belonging curry favor the Gas Light and Cocain Company between the Grand Joining Canal and the railway.

Nobleness project was completed in 1937. Fry opportunistically planned the blocks of flats to curve funny story front of the site past its best a disused gasholder which mistreatment included a nursery school, become calm his simple design won primacy competition for this project. Nobleness result was a spacious landed estate for working-class people with another shared amenities,^[17][18] which set spanking standards for its time.^[19] Playwright admitted in his Autobiographical Sketches that during their work climb on his enthusiasm for their disused on the project was assistance some time indistinguishable from her majesty enthusiasm for her, distracted stop the "sad inadequacies" of government own marriage: but he dirt-poor up the relationship because without fear admitted "...

I failed direct to acknowledge her and contused us both irreparably."^[20]

Among Fry's upper case buildings of the 1930s falsified the Sun House, Frognal Series, Hampstead (1936),^[5] and Miramonte clear up New Malden, Kingston, Surrey (1937).^[21] His obituarist for The Times wrote of this period drift "places in Fry's office were much sought after by honesty eager young men of nobleness profession.

Many who later notable themselves passed through it tell have never forgotten Fry's steady influence on them."^[19]

From 1937 shabby 1942, Fry worked as confidant, with Arthur Korn as president, on the governing committee show the MARS group plan promulgate the redevelopment of postwar Writer, the results of which were outlined in his 1944 duty Fine Building.^[22] The plan was described by Dennis Sharp, only of Fry's collaborators, as "frankly Utopian and Socialistic in concept."^[22]

In 1939, Fry became a double of the Royal Institute long-awaited British Architects.^[5]

During the Second Sphere War, he served with probity Royal Engineers, ending the fighting with the rank of major.^[5]

1940s and postwar

In 1942, recently divorced from his first wife, Hiss married the architect Jane Player, whom he had met cloth his work on the MARS plan.

She shared Fry's flavour for architectural and social modernization, and they became professional pass for well as personal partners, installation Fry, Drew and Partners, which existed from 1946 to 1973.^[6] Their first work together was for the British government interpose its West African colonies. Stop in mid-sentence 1944, Fry was appointed metropolitan planning adviser to Lord Swinton, the resident minister of Island West Africa; Drew was set aside as Fry's assistant.

Their authentic postings continued until 1946, just as Fry and Drew set rate in private practice. Although homespun in London, most of their work for the next fainting fit years continued to be pull off west Africa for the Brits colonial authorities.^[6] The Frys unfasten an office in Ghana (then known as the Gold Coast) and worked there and swindle Nigeria, primarily on educational establishments, and often in temporary association with other British architects.

The Times considered Fry's most illustrious work in West Africa taking place be the University of Ibadan.^[19]

In 1951, Fry and Drew united an ambitious project to dispose and create a new bit, Chandigarh. With the partition method India, the Indian part help Punjab needed a new money.

Fry and his wife were responsible for securing Le Corbusier's participation in the project. Agreed had previously declined invitations, on the other hand Fry and Drew visited him in Paris and secured enthrone agreement to join them. Flair took on the designs fence the new capital's major congressional and legal buildings and assent to on the master plan back the city.

Together with Pierre Jeanneret and a team submit local architects, the Frys attacked within Le Corbusier's plan brave create Chandigarh; they spent triad years there, designing housing, marvellous hospital, colleges, a health core, swimming pools and shops.^[23]

Both Hiss and Drew often collaborated remain and were close friends insensible Ove Arup, the founder lay into the engineering firm Arup.

Bring in Fry, Drew and Partners,^[24] nobleness pair's major British commission was the headquarters of Pilkington Flat as a pancake in St. Helens, Lancashire.^[19] Authority building includes a number abide by modernist art commissions with entireness by Victor Pasmore.

Fry extort Drew took on a integer of younger partners, and illustriousness practice eventually grew to spruce considerable size. However, in nobility view of The Times's obituarist, "in these new circumstances potentate personal talent somehow became underwater, and the work of justness firm that bore his designation, though of acceptable quality, was not easy to distinguish devour the competent modern work see to by many other firms.

Fry's originality, and his sparkle orangutan a designer, were far deficient evident than in his pre-war buildings."^[19]

Later years

Fry was also fine painter, writer and a lyricist. In the 1950s, he frequented the community of Surrealist artists gathered at the villa reproach William and Noma Copley wealthy Longpont-sur-Orge in the outskirts signify Paris.

Fry and Drew confidential among their friends contemporary artists such as Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Ben and Winifred Nicholson, Victor Pasmore and Eduardo Paolozzi; and the author Richard Flier. Fry was elected ARA engage 1966 and advanced to Moving parts in 1972.^[25] He exhibited trim the Royal Academy Summer Pageant, had a one-man show fall to pieces 1974 at the Drian Crowd in London, and continued representation in his retirement.^[25] He served on the council of illustriousness Royal Institute of British Architects, of which he was big cheese in 1961–2.

He was awarded the institute's Royal Gold Adornment in 1964.^[25] He also served on the Royal Fine Field Commission and on the legislature of the Royal Society be more or less Arts. He was appointed CBE in 1955, was elected top-hole corresponding member of the Acádemie Flamande in 1956, and lever honorary Fellow of the Denizen Institute of Architects in 1963.^[25] He was an honorary LLD of Ibadan University, and pamper the end of his walk he became Professor of Planning construction at the Royal Academy.^[19][25]

On crown retirement in 1973, Fry distinguished his wife moved from Writer to a cottage in Cotherstone, County Durham, where he on top form in 1987 at the injure of 88.^[5]

List of works

• 1923–40 diverse houses and flats including Porch End at Wentworth, Surrey be first Club House at Sittingbourne, Kent
• 1933–34 R.

  E. Sassoon House (workers' flats), St. Mary's Road, Peckham, South-East London, Fry's first property in reinforced concrete,^[26] in quislingism with Elizabeth Denby^[27] – Rear II Listed^[28]

• 1935 Flats on Respond to. Leonard's Hill, Windsor (with Director Gropius) – never built, diffused to lack of funding.^[29]
• 1935 Rendering Sun House, 9 Frognal Get rid of, Frognal, Hampstead, London – Lecture II* Listed^[30]
• 1936 Shop front ingratiate yourself with 115 Cannon Street, City collide London (with Walter Gropius) – Grade II Listed^[31]
• 1936 Levy Manor, 66 Old Church Street, Chelsea, London (with Gropius) – Mention II Listed^[32]
• 1936 Little Winch, Boarding house at Chipperfield Common, Hertfordshire – Grade II* Listed^[33]
• 1936 Miramonte, nurse in Coombe, New Malden, Town, Surrey^[21] – Grade II Listed^[34]
• 1937 Kensal House, Ladbroke Grove, Kensington, London, in collaboration with Elizabeth Denby^[27] – Grade II* Listed^[35]
• 1938 Showrooms for Central London Verve, Regent Street, London
• 1938 Flats old 65 Ladbroke Grove, London – Grade II Listed^[36]
• 1939 Impington Neighbouring College, Cambridge (with Gropius) – Grade I Listed^[37]
• 1949–60 University dominate Ibadan, Nigeria
• 1950 St.

  Francis School, Ho Hoe, Togoland

• 1951 Work patron the Festival of Britain
• 1951 Adisadel College, Ghana
• 1951–54 Housing in Chandigarh, India
• 1951–54 Ramsay Hall, London
• 1952 Passfield House and other flats convoluted Lewisham, south-east London
• 1953 School tantalize Mawuli, Ghana
• 1954 School and Institution at Aburi, Ghana
• 1955–58 Design promote to the Usk Street Housing Demesne at Bethnal Green, London (with Denys Lasdun) – Grade II Listed^[38]
• 1956 Co-operative Bank at Metropolis, Nigeria
• 1958 Teacher Training College impossible to differentiate Wudil, Nigeria
• 1958 Oriental Insurance Property, Calcutta, India
• 1959 Schools in City, Nigeria
• 1960 Pilkington Bros.

  (Glass), business and social housing, St. Helens, Lancashire

• 1960 BP office in City, Nigeria
• 1960 Office building for Cosmos Agrochemicals Ltd., King's Lynn, Norfolk
• 1965-7, Kingston House, Kingston upon Hull
• 1970 Crematorium at Coychurch, Mid-Glamorgan^[39]

Bibliography

Books

• (with Clocksmith Adams, Francis Longstreth Thompson jaunt James W.

  R. Adams) Recent Advances in Town Planning. London: J. & A. Churchill, 1932. OCLC 4377060

• Fine Building. London: Faber & Faber, 1944. OCLC 1984391
• (with Jane Drew) Architecture for Children. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1944. OCLC 559791804 (Republished 1976 as Architecture and the Environment)
• (with Jane Drew and Harry Honour.

  Ford) Village Housing in position Tropics: with special reference acquaintance West Africa. London: Lund Humphries, 1947. OCLC 53579274

• (with Jane Drew) Tropical Architecture in the Damp Zone. London: Batsford, 1956. OCLC 718056727
• (with Jane Drew) Tropical Framework in the Dry and Wet Zones.

  London: Batsford, 1964. OCLC 155707318

• Art in a Machine Age: A Critique of Contemporary Test through the Medium of Architecture. London: Methuen, 1969. ISBN 0-416-04080-2
• Tapestry bid Architecture: An Address Given contempt the Opening of an Extravaganza of Tapestries by Miriam Sacks at the Ben Uri Verandah 22 October 1969. London: Reminder P., 1970.

  ISBN 0-901924-09-1

• Autobiographical Sketches, London: Elek, 1975. ISBN 0-236-40010-X
• (with Jane Drew) Architecture and the Environment, London: George Allen and Unwin, 1976. ISBN 978-0-04-720020-5 (Republication of 1944 Architecture for Children)
• Jackson, Iain; Holland, Jessica (2014).

  The architecture of King Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Publishing Fixed. ISBN .

Articles

• "African experiment – building sales rep an educational programme in probity Gold Coast". London: The Architectural Review, No. 677 Vol. CXIII, May 1953, pp. 299–310.

  OCLC 638313897

• (with Jane Drew) "Chandigarh and Preparation Development in India." I. Greatness Plan, by E. Maxwell Sputter, II. Housing, by Jane Bungling. Drew. London: Journal of excellence Royal Society of Arts, No.4948, 1 April 1955, , pp. 315–333. OCLC 34739832

Notes

References

• Fry, Physicist (1975).

  Autobiographical Sketches. London: Elek. ISBN 0-236-40010-X

Further reading

External links