William Rupp Explained

William J. Rupp
Birth Date:25 August 1927
Birth Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Death Place:Montague, Massachusetts
Occupation:Architect
Practice:Paul Rudolph Architect
Rupp and Farrell Architects
Rupp Architects
Significant Buildings:Scott Commercial Building
Davis House
Uhr Studio
Caladesi National Bank Denedin
The Pavilion House
Brentwood Elementary School
Rupp House
Alma Mater:University of Florida
(Phi Kappa Phi Honors)

William J. Rupp (August 25, 1927 – February 7, 2002) was one of the modernist American architects considered part the Sarasota School of Architecture.

Early life and education

Rupp was born on August 25, 1927, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Frank J. and Sarah Viola Rupp. At eighteen, Rupp was inducted into the U.S. Army as an infantryman. After an extended period of military service, during which time he moved to Florida, he remained in the military reserves until he was honorably discharged in 1955. Post active service, Rupp attended the University of Florida, graduating in 1953 with Phi Kappa Phi honors in design (architecture). In 1957, he married Gwendolyn Marie O'Rourke.[1] [2]

Career in Sarasota

Upon graduation, Rupp worked with founding Sarasota School of Architecture member Paul Rudolph, eventually managing Rudolph's Sarasota office.[3] In 1955, Rudolph left Florida for New York City, and Rupp opened a private architectural practice at 224 South Orange Avenue, downtown Sarasota. During the next several years, Rupp worked closely with his architectural peers in Sarasota; Ralph Twitchell, Jack West, Gene Leedy, Tim Seibert, Victor Lundy, and Bert Brosmith.[4] In 1959, he formed Associated Architects with friend and fellow architect Joseph Farrell.[5] Although this partnership lasted two years, they produced several significant works, including Uhr Residence-Studio,[6] [7] Rupp Home,[8] [9] Kirsch House, Caladesi National Bank in Dunedin,[10] the Pavilion House,[11] [12] and the dining pavilion at the Ringling Museum of Art.

In 1959, Clarence Scott commissioned Rupp and Farrell to design a commercial building that would serve as a showroom for the Barkus Furniture Company.[13] Rupp and Farrell designed the building the following year. The building displays the characteristics of the Sarasota School of Architecture in planning and design, which was a prominent design in Central Florida.[14] The building features a stucco exterior, large picture windows, and large extending concrete rafter beams.[15]

The Scott Commercial Building was widely recognized as a ground-breaking design utilizing prefabricated concrete structural members. Acknowledging this important architectural achievement, the building was restored, renamed McCulloch Pavilion, and added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2017.[16] [17] [18]

In 1962, Rupp was featured in a special edition of Life Magazine, in an article entitled, The Takeover Generation – The 100 Most Outstanding Young Men and Women in the United States.[19]

In 1965, Rupp moved his architectural practice to Naples, Florida, where he worked on several projects; including three apartment complexes, an animal clinic, a restaurant, and his own residence.

Principal projects in Sarasota

Moving north

In 1968, Rupp joined Morris Ketchum Jr. & Associates in New York as an associate architect. During that time, he developed several renovations and exhibits for The Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium.

In 1972, he moved to Amherst, Massachusetts, working with Callister, Payne & Bischoff, Architects and Community Planners. He went into private practice in the mid-1970s. Rupp became a lecturer on architecture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, eventually obtaining a full-time teaching appointment. By 1978, he was Director of the Architectural Studies Program and the Interior Design Program.[27]

In 1989, Rupp co-authored and published the architectural textbook, Construction Materials for Interior Design: Principles of Structure and Properties of Materials.[28]

He retired in 1995 and died in 2002 in Montague, Massachusetts.

Awards and citations

Publications

Bibliography

The following architectural resource books feature the work of architect William Rupp:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: John Howey Sarasota School of Architecture Archive . William Rupp Biographical, Term Papers, and Photographs . George A. Smathers Libraries . University of Florida.
  2. Book: Howey . John . The Sarasota School of Architecture : 1941-1966 . 1995 . MIT Press . Cambridge, MA . 0262082403 . 68–70 .
  3. Book: Rohan . Timothy . The Architecture of Paul Rudolph . 10 July 2014 . Yale University Press . 978-0300149395 . 300.
  4. News: Leonard . Eva . Sarasota's 21st Century Star Turn . Architectural Digest . Architectural Digest . October 29, 2018.
  5. News: Farrell . Joseph . Artistic Sculpting of Space . SRQ Magazine . SRQ Magazine . March 2015.
  6. Web site: Uhr Studio-Residence . Lumion Forum . SMF.
  7. Web site: Building A Day: Uhr Studio . Center for Architecture . Center for Architecture Sarasota.
  8. Web site: William Rupp - Rupp Home . Sarasota Modern . Sarasota Modern.
  9. News: Home of Bill Rupp, architectural scholar . Sarasota Herald Tribune . Sarasota Herald Tribune . June 28, 2013.
  10. Web site: UF Exhibition Architecture Archives (Caladesi National Bank, Dunedin. UF Sarasota School of Architecture Archives . University of Florida.
  11. Web site: Payne . Seamus . The Pavilion House . Dwell Magazine . Dwell Magazine.
  12. Web site: Ro . Lauren . Midcentury jewel with design pedigree . Curbed . Curbed.
  13. Web site: Building History . Center for Architecture Sarasota . May 3, 2018.
  14. Web site: NPS Form 10-900 National Register of Historic Places Registration Form – Scott Commercial Building Certified by Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation. . Hylton III. Morris. National Park Service . April 22, 2016 . May 3, 2018.
  15. Web site: Secretary Detzner Announces the Recent Designation of Florida Properties on the National Register of Historic Places . September 20, 2016 . Florida Department of State . May 18, 2018.
  16. Web site: Scott Commercial Building . National Register of Historic Places Program . National Park Service / U.S. Department of Interior.
  17. Web site: Fortune Smiles on the Scott Building . Architizer . Architizer.
  18. Web site: Board . Aaron . Scott Building . Architecture In Sarasota . Center for Architecture.
  19. News: The Takeover Generation: The 100 Most Outstanding Young Men and Women in the United States . Life Magazine . Life Magazine . September 14, 1962.
  20. Book: King, Joseph . and Domin, Christopher . Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses . 2002 . Princeton Architectural Press . New York, NY . 9781568982663 . 168–169 .
  21. Book: King, Joseph . and Domin, Christopher . Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses . 2002 . Princeton Architectural Press . New York, NY . 9781568982663 . 226 .
  22. Web site: Tour Sarasota Architecture: Lido Shores #14 Gloria Kisrch House . SAF . Sarasota Architectural Foundation.
  23. Book: Howey . John . The Sarasota School of Architecture : 1941-1966 . 1995 . MIT Press . Cambridge, MA . 0262082403 . 83 .
  24. Web site: Tour Sarasota Architecture: North of Fruitville #61 Richard Doyle Residence . SAF . Sarasota Architectural Foundation.
  25. Book: Howey . John . The Sarasota School of Architecture : 1941-1966 . 1995 . MIT Press . Cambridge, MA . 0262082403 . 115–117 .
  26. Book: Hochstim . Jan . Florida Modern : Residential Architecture 1945-1970 . Rizzoli New York . 978-0847826032 . 184-185 . 2005 .
  27. News: William Rupp - Obituary . The Campus Chronicle . University of Massachusetts, Amherst . February 15, 2002.
  28. Book: Rupp, William . and Friedmann, Arnold . Construction Materials for Interior Design . January 1, 1989 . Watson-Guptill . 978-0823009305 .

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