The AIA gratefully acknowledges the following sponsors of our 150th Anniversary celebration:
HKS, Inc. NBBJ
AIA Board of Directors Deltek, Inc. DLR Group, Inc. Haworth, Inc. Hellmuth Obata & Kassabaum, Inc. Perkins+Will
RTKL Associates, Inc.
Satellier, LLC
Thompson Ventulett Stainback & Associates, Inc.
Victor O. Schinnerer & Co., Inc.
SHW Group LLP Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership
Bank of America
Bentley Systems, Inc.
Stephen B. & Lisa S. Bonner
Clark Construction Group, LLC Cooper Carry Charitable Foundation, Inc. Hanley Wood, LLC
HMC Architects Little
OWP/P Architects, Inc. Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects, LLP SmithGroup, Inc. Swanke, Hayden, Connell Architects, LLP
ADD, Inc. BWBR Architects, Inc. Cannon Design FreemanWhite, Inc. Reed Construction Data
AIA Trust Craig Beale, FAIA, FACHA
Nunzio DeSantis, AIA
Brian Dougherty, FAIA & Betsey Dougherty, FAIA GBBN Architects, Inc.
H. Ralph Hawkins, FAIA, FACHA John J. Hoffman, FAIA Norman Koonce, FAIA & Suzanne Koonce, Hon. AIA Miller | Hull Partnership Munger Munger Architecture Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott, Inc. Ronald L. Skaggs, FAIA, FACHA
Victor F. Trahan III, FAIA
R. Randall Vosbeck, FAIA, & Phoebe Vosbeck TRO Jung | Brannen WHR Architects, Inc.
Altoon + Porter Architects Anderson Mason Dale Architects, PC
John Anderson, FAIA, & Flodie Anderson Noel Barrick, AIA Barron, Heinberg & Brocato Bobby Booth, AIA Michael Broshar, FAIA, & Mary Broshar Joe Buskuhl, FAIA Tommy Cowan, FAIA, & Ann Cowan Louis de Moll, FAIA Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA James H. Eley, FAIA Eskew + Dumez + Ripple, Studio EDR Glenn Fellows, AIA GouldEvans Marion L. Fowlkes, FAIA FRCH Design Worldwide Ron Gover, AIA
Donald J. Hackl, FAIA Ernest Hanchey, AIA Heller Manus Architects, Inc. Dan Jeakins, AIA Chuck Means, AIA Mike Menefee, AIA Morris Architects Dan Noble, FAIA, FACHA Marshall Purnell, FAIA Freddy Roberts, AIA Miguel Rodriguez, AIA, & Lourdes Rodriguez, AIA Kate Schwennsen, FAIA, & Barry Jones, AIA Joseph Sprague, FAIA Douglas L Steidl, FAIA, & Sue Steidl Norman Strong, FAIA, & Susan Strong Bryce A. Weigand, FAIA Enrique A. Woodroffe, FAIA/Woodroffe Corporation Architects
Architecture by Norbert Peiker, LLC
Newell Arnerich, AIA
Arrowstreet, Inc. Edward Abeyta, AIA
Ronald Arthur Altoon, FAIA Peter J. Arsenault, AIA Jim Atkins, FAIA, KIA Danny P. Babin, AIA
Donald R. Barsness, AIA Ronald J. Battaglia, FAIA & Sandra Battaglia
Ronald P. Bertone, FAIA William Beyer, FAIA Robert R. Billingsley, AIA Elmer Botsai, FAIA Jay and Michelle Brand
Leon Bridges, FAIA Thomas D. Briggs, AIA Robert Broshar, FAIA David J. Brotman, FAIA John A. Busby, Jr., FAIA
H. Kennard Bussard, FAIA Richard E. Carroll, AIA Stephan Castellanos, FAIA Lorenzo Castillo, AIA L. William Chapin II, FAIA Matthew Clear, AIA CMSS Architects P.C. Douglas J. Compton, AIA Jess Raymond Corrigan, Jr., AIA Anthony J. “Tony” Costello, FAIA David Crawford Sylvester Damianos, FAIA Ronald W. Dennis, AIA, ACHA Brian J. Eason, AIA Jeremy Edmunds, Assoc. AIA Elliott + Associates Robert J. Farrow, AIA S. Scott Ferebee, FAIA Robert D. Fincham, AIA Jonathan L. Fischel, AIA, LEED AP Francisco G. Gonzalez, AIA B. Todd Gritch, FAIA Roy L. Gunsolus, AIA Maureen Guttman, AIA Walter Hainsfurther, AIA J Thomas Harvey, AIA, FACHA Jeffrey K. Haven, AIA John Hesseler, AIA Jeff Hill, AIA William E. Hinton, AIA
Michael Hoagland Kerry J. Hogue, AIA Thomas R. Holt, AIA Clifford H. Horsak, AIA M. Teresa Hurd, AIA John M. Hutchings, AIA Paul Hyett, Hon. AIA IMRE Communications Dick Jackson Jeffrey K. Jensen, AIA J.K. Roller Architects Bruce E. Johnson, AIA Larry A. Johnson, PE Richard D. Johnston, AIA Mark Jones, AIA Leevi Kiil, FAIA Leonard Koroski, AIA
KPS Group, Inc. Kirk J. Krueger, AIA
Sylvia Kwan, FAIA Joseph P. Laakman, AIA, NCARB Brian F. Larson, AIA Jeff LaRue, AIA Robert Lawrence, FAIA Rick James Lee, Assoc. AIA Robin Lee, Hon. AIA Larry D. Le Master, CPA Michael Lischer, AIA, RIBA Clark Llewellyn, AIA Stephen K. Loos, AIA Marvin Malecha, FAIA & Cindy Malecha Clark D. Manus, FAIA Robert T. Martineck, AIA John M. Maudlin-Jeronimo, FAIA Susan Maxman, FAIA Linda McCracken-Hunt, AIA & Thomas Hunt Owen E. McCrory, AIA Christine W. McEntee Brian McFarlane, AIA John McGinty, FAIA Adam Melis Elizabeth Mitchell, Hon. AIA Norman T. Morgan, AIA Rodney W. Morrissey, AIA Mortar Net USA, LTD. Robin L. Murray, AIA PP Celeste Novak, AIA Gregory Palermo, FAIA and Olivia Madison Gordon Park, AIA Raymond G. Post Jr., FAIA Jack D. Price, Jr., AIA David Proffitt, AIA David E. Prusha, AIA John H. Richardson, PE Terry R. Richter, AIA Jeffrey Rosenblum, AIA Harry R. Rutledge, RIBA, FAIA James A. Scheeler, FAIA Charles E. Schwing, FAIA & Jerry Schwing John C. Senhauser, FAIA Oliver B. Stark II, AIA Greg Staskiewicz, Assoc. AIA RK Stewart, FAIA & Barbara Lyons, AIA Craig R. Stockwell, AIA Jeffrey C. Stouffer, AIA James M. Suehiro, AIA, LEED AP Anne-Marie Taylor B. Kirk Teske, AIA Leslie J. Thomas, AIA and Steven J. Bracy Bryan K. Trubey, AIA Larry J. Tuccio, AIA Jeffrey D. Vandersall, AIA Mark Vander Voort, AIA Edward J. Vidlak, AIA Michael Wayne Vela, AIA David Vincent, AIA, ACHA Craig Williams, AIA Penelope J. H. Wright, AIA Eric Zaddock Andrew J. Zekany
• 1958: Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. • 1947: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, an Atomic Energy Commission town • 1933: World’s Fair in Chicago: Century of Progress Exposition
Louis Skidmore studied at Bradley University in Illinois before serving in England during the World War I. After the war, he attended the School of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating in 1924. He worked in Boston for Charles Maginnis; then in 1926, he won the Rotch Traveling Scholarship and traveled to Europe for three years, including one year studying at the American Academy in Rome.
From 1929 to 1933, Skidmore collaborated with Nathaniel Owings to plan and design the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. It was on this project that he gained much of his training in organization and management skills. This teaming of Skidmore and Owings led in early 1936 to the formation of their partnership, which eventually became one of the largest and most prestigious American architecture firms of the 20th century. In 1937 they opened another office in New York; when the engineer John Merrill joined them in 1939, the firm became known as Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, or SOM. Skidmore’s reputation lay in his strong organizational ability, leading SOM to critical success into the mid-20th century.
SOM’s first large commission was at Oak Ridge, Tenn., an Atomic Energy Commission town. Following that project, SOM grew rapidly and by the early 1960s was one of the world’s largest firms. The firm became well known for its many tall office buildings. It is also recognized for the Air Force Academy campus at Colorado Springs, Colo., and especially the Academy’s chapel. Though criticized by many in the beginning, the chapel is one of the state’s most popular tourist attractions.
Part of SOM’s reputation rests on its management style, emphasizing both personal achievement and team work. They also helped to introduce and excelled in the International style that became popular following the war.
