Ralph Rapson
| Ralph Rapson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 13, 1914 Alma, Michigan, United States |
| Died | March 29, 2008 (aged 93) Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Practice | Ralph Rapson and Associates |
| Buildings | Guthrie Theater (demolished), Riverside Plaza (Cedar Square West), University of Minnesota Rarig Center, churches, residences and U.S. embassies |
| Projects | Knoll furniture, Case Study House |
Ralph Rapson (September 13, 1914 – March 29, 2008) was the head of architecture at the University of Minnesota for many years. He was one of the world's oldest practicing architects at his death at age 93, and also one of the most prolific.
Rapson earned architecture degrees at the University of Michigan, and at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he studied under Eliel Saarinen. “Cranbrook was a very exciting, dynamic place where I met and worked with guys like Charlie Eames, Harry Bertoia, and Harry Weese,” Rapson said.
As a young architect, Rapson worked for the Saarinen architectural office from 1940 to 1941. He moved to Chicago in 1941, where he worked with George Fred Keck and others.
Rapson taught architecture at the New Bauhaus School (now IIT Institute of Design) from 1942 to 1946, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1946 to 1954.
He was head of the architecture school at the University of Minnesota from 1954 to 1984, where "generations of Minnesota architects came up through [his] tutelage."
Rapson practiced in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1954 to 2008. His work was predominantly in the Modernist style. “Practically all the work I’ve done is not too far off from Bauhaus principles,” he said.
But his work was oriented to people rather than abstract principles. He said: “Whenever I’m designing a building or a piece of furniture, people become a strong part of my general approach. The design process isn’t just about bricks and stones; for me it’s also about the people in a building and how I expect them to live.”
Rapson was a prolific sketch artist and kept volumes of sketchbooks from his various world travels. A book of selected sketches was published in 2002. In the book's introduction, Cesar Pelli wrote: His drawings were "completely self-assured" and "looked quintessentially American."
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