Appreciating all that makes America special

Architecture: I.M. Pei

We don't always know architects by name, but the great ones become more than artists, they become brand names. Uploaded by archtracker.com.

With few exceptions, most architects remain unknown by name to the public at large. Usually, we know them by their designs. One of the few men whose accomplishments are so great that his reputation has spread beyond trade circles is the great I.M. Pei.

Pei was born in the Chinese city of Guangzhou (what we wish we could still call “Canton”), and was raised in Hong Kong and Shanghai. At age 18 he left to come to college in the USA, starting at the University of Pennsylvania, but quickly transferring to M.I.T. His talent became evident quickly, and he joined the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He became a U.S. citizen in 1952.

One of the first projects that made his reputation was the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC. That led to the building considered his first signature structure, the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado. Since then, he’s gained wide acclaim for the National Gallery of Art’s East Building, the John F. Kennedy Library, and the glass and steel pyramid of the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Architecture, like art, can only be described feebly by words. Here’s a gallery of some of I.M. Pei’s wonderful designs…

Pyramid entrance to the Louvre Museum, Paris

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Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar

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Javits Convention Center, New York City

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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland

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National Gallery of Art, East Building

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National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder

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John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston

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