Edgar J. Kaufmann
| Edgar Kaufmann | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Edgar Jonas Kaufmann November 1, 1885 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Died | April 15, 1955 (aged 69) |
| Education | Shady Side Academy |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Owner of Kaufmann's and commissioner of Fallingwater |
| Spouse(s) |
Liliane S. Kaufmann (m. 1909; d. 1952) Grace A. Stoops (m. 1954) |
| Children | Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. |
| Parent(s) | Morris Kaufmann |
Edgar Jonas Kaufmann (November 1, 1885 – April 15, 1955) was a prominent Jewish German-American businessman and philanthropist who owned and directed Kaufmann's Department Store, the most prominent one in 20th-century Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. He is also known for commissioning two modern architectural masterpieces, Fallingwater, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and the Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, designed by Richard Neutra.
Edgar Kaufmann was born on November 1, 1885 and was the eldest son of Morris Kaufmann, who was born in Viernheim, Germany. His uncles, Jacob and Isaac Kaufmann founded Kaufmann's department store in 1871.
Kaufmann graduated from Shady Side Academy, a boarding school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
In Pittsburgh, Edgar Kaufmann generously financed the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Company, and donated US$1.5 million for the erection of the Civic Arena. Improving the infrastructure of the city was one of his concerns; another was art patronage. In 1926, Kaufmann commissioned American artist Boardman Robinson to create a series of nine murals for his flagship department store in Pittsburgh on the history of trade, completed with automobile paint. The architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed his executive offices on the top floor, now installed at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England. Edgar Kaufmann was one of the "city's leading citizens" who welcomed Albert Einstein when he visited Pittsburgh in 1934. Einstein was later a house guest at Fallingwater.
...
Wikipedia