LaPierre, Litchfield & Partners

LaPierre, Litchfield & Partners
Practice information
Founded1954
Dissolved1970s
LocationNew York City
Significant works and honors
BuildingsDrew University
Great Neck South High School
Lebanon Correctional Institution
The Wheatley School

LaPierre, Litchfield & Partners was a major 20th-century architectural firm headquartered in Manhattan, New York, United States. The firm was best known for designing modernist civic institutions & facilities throughout the United States and abroad. It was especially active within the New York metropolitan area.

Description

The firm was founded in 1954 by architects Frank Bower, Gannett Herwig, Lester S. LaPierre, Clarence B. Litchfield, and Ben John Small – all five of whom were formerly associates with the firm of Alfred Hopkins & Associates.[1][2] Following Alfred Hopkins' death in 1941, LaPierre and Litchfield took over, with the firm continuing to operate under the Hopkins & Associates name until 1954 – at which time LaPierre, Litchfield & Partners was founded as its successor.[1][3]

Throughout the firm's existence, it designed scores of schools, hospitals, prisons, and other major institutions & facilities – in addition to commercial buildings and over 2,000 public housing units.[1][4][5][6] The firm also designed numerous federal facilities – including multiple VA hospitals.[1][2] It was known for being a pioneer in modernist architecture, as well as for its civic & military buildings – including for work at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.[2][5][7] It was also known for its prison designs, with Litchfield being regarded as one of the nation's leading prison architects.[7]

In 1966, Gannett Herwig, one of the firm's founding partners, died.[2] At the time, the firm was headquartered at 8 West 40th Street in Manhattan.[2]

The firm dissolved in the 1970s, in the midst of an economic downturn.[1]

Notable works

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "LaPierre, Litchfield and Partners". Queens Modern. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  2. ^ a b c d e "GANNETT HERWIG, 69, ARCHITECT, IS DEAD". The New York Times. 1966-04-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  3. ^ "LaPierre, Litchfield & Partners - AIA Historical Directory of American Architects - Confluence". aiahistoricaldirectory.atlassian.net. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  4. ^ Ennis, Thomas W. (1956-12-16). "'FORTRESS' BANKS GET MODERN LOOK; Light and Airy Structures Replace Old Buildings-- Customers Increase NEW DESIGNS CUT COSTS Outmoded Classical Buildings Waste Space and Cause Heating Problems Costs Have Risen 'FORTRESS' BANKS GET MODERN LOOK". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  5. ^ a b Buder, Leonard (1956-12-16). "New Schools of Thought: Modern Trend in Education Is Reflected in Buildings Themselves; SOMBER SCHOOLS ARE DISAPPEARING Modern Building Replacing Institutions That Looked More Like Prisons An Emergency Situation SOMBER SCHOOLS ARE DISAPPEARING". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  6. ^ Forgeron, Harry V. (1966-01-30). "New Prisons Bar Aura of Punishment; PRISON DESIGNS TAKE ON NEW LOOK Architects Are Trying New Methods and Layouts PRISON DESIGNS TAKE ON NEW LOOK". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  7. ^ a b Goodwin, Michael (1981-05-17). "C.B. LITCHFIELD DIES; ARCHITECT RENOWNED AS DESIGNER OF PRISONS". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  8. ^ Times, Special to The New York (1957-04-15). "BEN JOHN SMALL, ARCHITECT, DIES; Authority on Specifications and Materials Worked on Installations at Thule Studied at Beaux Arts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  9. ^ "LaPierre, Litchfield and Partners – Drew University, Madison NJ". Queens Modern. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  10. ^ "L. I. SCHOOLS DEDICATED; 2 Buildings at Great Neck Cost Total of $9,205,000". The New York Times. 1958-11-03. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  11. ^ Buder, Leonard (1956-12-23). "Modern Schools Are Built to Fit Child Emotionally and Physcially; 'Candy Stick School' Increases the Youngsters' Appetite for Learning". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-17.