I.M. Pei, architect of Syracuse University’s Newhouse Communications Center 1 and the Everson Museum of Art in downtown Syracuse, died Thursday. He was 102 years old.

A modernist architect, Pei’s buildings feature geometric shapes — such as the prism-shaped glass structure outside Paris’ Louvre Museum — and materials such as steel, concrete and stone, according to The Washington Post. He aimed to create bright, welcoming spaces for the public, in contrast to more austere modernist creations.

“I want to bring out the best in a community and contribute something of permanent value,” Pei once said.

Every semester, #architecture #students visit @NewhouseSU @SyracuseU & sketch the details of #IMPei ‘s design—the outer and inner glass walls, teak railings, floating balcony, stair railings, & skylights. My thanks for creating an inspiring & creative workplace. RIP pic.twitter.com/Any2zeFdaZ

— T. Makana Chock (@Doc_Chock) 16 May 2019

Born in China in 1917, Pei traveled to the U.S. in 1935 and studied architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, according to CNN. Pei created his architectural firm, I.M. Pei & Associates, in 1955.

Pei was commissioned to design the Everson Museum in 1961, the first of many museums to bear the architect’s style, according to Syracuse.com. He intended for the building itself to be a sculpture within the city, both containing and acting as art, according to the Everson Museum’s website.

The museum opened in 1968. It does not feature a prominent entrance, designed so visitors can view and explore the museum from all sides, according to the Everson Museum.

Construction of the first building of SU’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications — Pei’s other work in Syracuse — finished in 1964, per an SU News release. Pei also designed Cornell University’s Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art.

Pei’s personal architectural accomplishments include Boston’s John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art and Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. His firm also designed the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C, among other buildings.

Over the course of his career, Pei was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Published on May 18, 2019 at 3:34 pm

Contact Emma: esfolts@syr.edu