Antonin Raymond
| Antonín Raymond | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Antonín Reimann 10 May 1888 Kladno, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic) |
| Died | 21 November 1976 (aged 88) Langhorne, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Nationality | Czevhoslovak and later American |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | Medal of Honor by the New York Chapter of American Institute of Architects, The Third Order of Merit of the Rising Sun by Emperor Hirohito |
| Buildings | Reinanzaka House, Reader’s Digest Offices, Nanzan University |
Antonin Raymond (or Czech: Antonín Raymond), born as Antonín Reimann (10 May 1888, Kladno, Bohemia – 21 November 1976 Langhorne, Pennsylvania), was a Czech American architect. Raymond was born and studied in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), working later in the United States and Japan. Raymond was also the Consul of Czechoslovakia to Japan from 1926 to 1939, in which year the Czech diplomacy was closed down after the occupation of the European country by Nazi Germany.
His initial work with American architects Cass Gilbert and Frank Lloyd Wright gave him an insight into the use of concrete for texture and structure that he would refine throughout his six decade career.
At studio practices in New Hope, Pennsylvania and Tokyo, he explored traditional Japanese building techniques combined with the latest In American building innovations. Raymond applied these principles to a wide range of residential, commercial, religious and institutional projects in Japan, America, India and the Philippines.
Along with British Architect Josiah Conder, Raymond is recognized as one of the fathers of modern architecture in Japan.
Raymond was born on 10 May 1888, in Kladno, Central Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) to Alois Reimann and his wife Růžena. Following the death of his mother and the bankruptcy of his father's shop the family moved to Prague in 1905. Raymond started at the Reálné gymnasium (secondary school aimed at more technical/practical sciences) in Kladno, then continued on the same kind of school in Prague.
In 1906 he entered the Czech Polytechnic Institute, studying under Josef Schultz and Jan Koula. He completed his studies in Trieste in 1910 before leaving for New York City.
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