Louis Skidmore
| Louis Skidmore | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 8, 1897 Lawrenceburg, Indiana |
| Died | September 27, 1962 (aged 65) Winter Haven, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | AIA Gold Medal (1957) |
| Practice | Skidmore, Owings and Merrill |
Louis Skidmore (April 8, 1897 – September 27, 1962) was an American architect, co-founder of the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and recipient of the AIA Gold Medal.
Louis Skidmore was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. He served in the United States Army during World War I as a Sergeant. On June 14, 1930, he married Eloise Owings, the sister of Nathaniel A. Owings his future business partner. Louis and Eloise were married for over 32 years until his death in 1962. They had two sons Louis, Jr. and Philip Murray.
Louis Skidmore studied at Bradley Polytechnic Institute, now known as Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, finishing in 1917.
Louis Skidmore trained with Cram and Ferguson, a large, established firm in Boston that designed Gothic style buildings. At night he studied at the Boston Architectural Club creating additional design problems that were critiqued by Harvard and MIT professors. Winning a prize at the BAC opened the door for Skidmore to attend MIT. He subsequently studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology until 1924.
After eight years of practicing architecture, Skidmore won the Rotch Traveling Fellowship that allowed him to travel to Europe, where he spent his time primarily in Rome and Paris.
During his time in Paris he met Raymond Hood who convinced him to be involved in the Chicago's World's Fair, as Hood was head of the Board of Design. Also, while in Europe, he met Eloise Owings. They returned to the United States together where Eloise introduced Skidmore to her brother Nathaniel "Nat" Owings.
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