Raphael Soriano
| Raphael S. Soriano | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 1, 1904 Rhodes, Greece |
| Died | July 21, 1988 (aged 83) Claremont, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | AIA Distinguished Achievement Award (1986) USC Distinguished Alumni Award (1986) |
| Buildings |
Lipetz House Shulman House Case Study House 1950 Colby Apartments Eichler House Adolph's Laboratory and Office Schrage House Koosis House |
| Projects |
Plywood House All Aluminum Homes Soria Structures World Peace Island Alcatraz |
Raphael S. Soriano, FAIA, (August 1, 1904 – July 21, 1988) was an architect and educator, who helped define a period of 20th-century architecture that came to be known as Mid-century modern. He pioneered the use of modular prefabricated steel and aluminum structures in residential and commercial design and construction.
Born in Rhodes to a Sephardic Jewish family, Soriano attended the College Saint-Jean-Baptiste there before emigrating to the United States in 1924. After settling with relatives in Los Angeles, he enrolled in the University of Southern California's School of Architecture in 1929, graduating in 1934. In 1930, he became an American citizen and, the following year, secured an internship at the practice of Richard Neutra, working alongside fellow interns Gregory Ain and Harwell Hamilton Harris. A brief internship with Rudolph Schindler in 1934 followed, but Soriano quickly returned to his unpaid position at Neutra's office.
With America in the throes of the Great Depression, Soriano managed to find work upon graduation with the County of Los Angeles on several WPA projects, such as the famous "Steel Lobster", and in a local architect's office. By 1936, he had completed his first commission, the Lipetz House, which appeared in the 1937 International Architectural Exhibition in Paris.
With residential and commercial construction in the U.S. stalled by the country's involvement in World War II, Soriano took up lecturing at USC and began contributing proposals for post-war housing designs to various competitions and publications. Of these, Soriano's "Plywood House" prototype received Third Prize in 1943 in the Postwar Living Competition, sponsored by Arts & Architecture magazine. Once the war ended, Soriano had no trouble securing commissions, now garnering prizes for his built projects, such as the Katz House, in Studio City, a 1949 recipient of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Southern California Chapter Three Award. The following year, the architect completed a home for a friend, renowned architectural photographer Julius Shulman, one of the few Soriano structures still standing. The Shulman residence and 1964 Grossman House were the last two occupied by their original owners.
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