Malcolm Quantrill 1931–2009
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Op Arch II BRUCE WEBB University of Houston Malcolm Quantrill 1931–2009 Malcolm Quantrill, who died September 22, 2009, in College Station, Texas, was a consummate student of modern architecture. The quintessential global academic, he was a historian who believed in the importance of being there to see things first hand and with all the senses. For fifty years, he explored the world seeking out architects and places that captured and excited his interest and documenting his unique and faithful interpretations. Malcolm held academic posts from London to Louisiana, from Amman, Jordan to Montana, before settling in at Texas A&M University where he was named the first Distinguished Professor of Architecture in 1984. Wherever he went, he acted as the impresario of his own international road show of notable architects, historians, and critics, many of them subjects of books or articles and with whom he kept in touch through lengthy letters written in script that were themselves works of art. He would always be looking for ways of bringing his wide circle of international friends to town to lecture or for design reviews and other collaborations. As architecture careened through a dust storm of ‘‘isms,’’ Malcolm continued to expand on his modernist perspective that put little stock in appearances, style, and novelty but valued study, knowledge, and informed observations as the triggers of modern creative inspiration. In a typical Quantrill explanation, he used an analogy to the game of chess that he said could be played successfully by (1) knowing the code of rules, (2) studying the great games in history, and (3) practice. ‘‘Like architecture,’’ he concluded, ‘‘it cannot be treated as a guessing game by serious players.’’ The architects Malcolm focused on were all serious players and included stars like Alvar Aalto, the subject of his first monograph (Alvar Aalto: A Critical Study , 1983), Reima Pietilä (Reima Pietilä: Architecture, Context and Modernism, 1985, and Reima Pietilä: One Man’s Odyssey in Search of Finnish Architecture, 1988), and Norman Foster (The Norman Foster Studio: Consistency through Diversity, 1999). And there were new voices whom he helped to bring into more expansive critical discourse, like the natively introverted Finn, Juha Leiviskä, architect of several little known but ethereally beautiful churches (Juha Leiviskä and the Continuity of Finnish Modern Architecture, 1988), and the canny Nova Scotia regionalist, Bryan Mackay-Lyons (Plain Modern: The Architecture of Bryan Mackay-Lyons, 2005). Stanford Anderson recognized the important role of the critic in these transactions: for an architect like Juha Leiviskä and his work to reach broader circles, there must be an agent who values not only the work but also the quiet, deep nature of the man. That Malcolm took both the opportunity and the responsibility to be such an agent is documented in the Leivisikä monograph. In recognition of his contributions to the study of Finnish architecture, Finnish president Mauno Koivisto made Malcolm a Knight Commander in the order of Knights of the Lion of Finland. Malcolm and I founded the Center for Advancement of Studies in Architecture (CASA) in 1989, a joint venture between Texas A&M and the University of Houston, which published three books of essays on architecture and culture. Malcolm remained active as director of CASA after his retirement and turned his publication interests to the architecture of Latin America, a subject he thought was a natural trajectory for a Texas school. In 2000, he published Six Voices ⁄ Six Arquitectos: Latin American Architecture in collaboration with Kenneth Frampton. He was appointed international representative for the Luis Barragan Chair at Monterrey Institute of Technology in Queretaro, Mexico. This appointment followed several years of collaborations with Mexican colleagues and the publication of Space and Place in the Mexican Landscape: The Evolution of the Colonial City (2007) by Fernando Nunez, Carlos Arvizu, and Ramon Abonce, which Quantrill edited and published in the CASA series. He also co-edited and co-translated The Architectural Project by Argentinean scholar Alfonso Corona-Martinez. Dapper and a bit fusty and old school, Malcolm had an actor’s way with the English language that hovered somewhere between English upper crust and a whiff of Monty Python. His memory was prodigious and he had a practiced gift for narrative and wit. And never did he have a case of l’esprit de l’escalier , the writer’s curse of thinking of the right thing to say only on the way home from the party or the crit. He could bring lofty ideas down to earth, getting them into the mind’s eye of a designer with a storehouse of engaging metaphors, illustrations both highbrow and bawdy and stories. As a teacher and a writer, he was not playing verbal tennis with a ball made out of silly putty. He seemed always to be saying, ‘‘By God, I want you to get inside this thing and look around and really understand.’’ 143 WEBB Journal of Architectural Education, p. 143 ª 2010 ACSA
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Transcript of Malcolm Quantrill 1931–2009
Op Arch IIBRUCE WEBB
University of Houston Malcolm Quantrill 1931–2009
Malcolm Quantrill, who died September 22, 2009,in College Station, Texas, was a consummatestudent of modern architecture. The quintessentialglobal academic, he was a historian who believedin the importance of being there to see things firsthand and with all the senses. For fifty years, heexplored the world seeking out architects andplaces that captured and excited his interest anddocumenting his unique and faithfulinterpretations.
Malcolm held academic posts from London toLouisiana, from Amman, Jordan to Montana,before settling in at Texas A&M University wherehe was named the first Distinguished Professor ofArchitecture in 1984. Wherever he went, he actedas the impresario of his own international roadshow of notable architects, historians, and critics,many of them subjects of books or articles andwith whom he kept in touch through lengthyletters written in script that were themselves worksof art. He would always be looking for ways ofbringing his wide circle of international friends totown to lecture or for design reviews and othercollaborations.
As architecture careened through a dust stormof ‘‘isms,’’ Malcolm continued to expand on hismodernist perspective that put little stock inappearances, style, and novelty but valued study,knowledge, and informed observations as the triggersof modern creative inspiration. In a typical Quantrillexplanation, he used an analogy to the game of chessthat he said could be played successfully by(1) knowing the code of rules, (2) studying the greatgames in history, and (3) practice. ‘‘Likearchitecture,’’ he concluded, ‘‘it cannot be treated asa guessing game by serious players.’’
The architects Malcolm focused on were allserious players and included stars like Alvar Aalto,the subject of his first monograph (Alvar Aalto:A Critical Study, 1983), Reima Pietilä (Reima Pietilä:Architecture, Context and Modernism, 1985, andReima Pietilä: One Man’s Odyssey in Search ofFinnish Architecture, 1988), and Norman Foster (TheNorman Foster Studio: Consistency throughDiversity, 1999). And there were new voices whomhe helped to bring into more expansive criticaldiscourse, like the natively introverted Finn, JuhaLeiviskä, architect of several little known butethereally beautiful churches (Juha Leiviskä and theContinuity of Finnish Modern Architecture, 1988),and the canny Nova Scotia regionalist, BryanMackay-Lyons (Plain Modern: The Architecture ofBryan Mackay-Lyons, 2005). Stanford Andersonrecognized the important role of the critic in thesetransactions: for an architect like Juha Leiviskä andhis work to reach broader circles, there must be anagent who values not only the work but also thequiet, deep nature of the man.That Malcolm tookboth the opportunity and the responsibility to besuch an agent is documented in the Leivisikämonograph.
In recognition of his contributions to the studyof Finnish architecture, Finnish president MaunoKoivisto made Malcolm a Knight Commander in theorder of Knights of the Lion of Finland.
Malcolm and I founded the Center forAdvancement of Studies in Architecture (CASA) in1989, a joint venture between Texas A&M and theUniversity of Houston, which published threebooks of essays on architecture and culture.Malcolm remained active as director of CASA afterhis retirement and turned his publication intereststo the architecture of Latin America, a subjecthe thought was a natural trajectory for a Texasschool. In 2000, he published Six Voices ⁄ SixArquitectos: Latin American Architecture incollaboration with Kenneth Frampton. He wasappointed international representative for the LuisBarragan Chair at Monterrey Institute ofTechnology in Queretaro, Mexico. Thisappointment followed several years ofcollaborations with Mexican colleagues and thepublication of Space and Place in the MexicanLandscape: The Evolution of the Colonial City(2007) by Fernando Nunez, Carlos Arvizu, andRamon Abonce, which Quantrill edited andpublished in the CASA series. He also co-editedand co-translated The Architectural Project byArgentinean scholar Alfonso Corona-Martinez.
Dapper and a bit fusty and old school, Malcolmhad an actor’s way with the English language thathovered somewhere between English upper crustand a whiff of Monty Python. His memory wasprodigious and he had a practiced gift for narrativeand wit. And never did he have a case of l’esprit del’escalier, the writer’s curse of thinking of the rightthing to say only on the way home from the partyor the crit. He could bring lofty ideas down toearth, getting them into the mind’s eye of adesigner with a storehouse of engaging metaphors,illustrations both highbrow and bawdy and stories.As a teacher and a writer, he was not playing verbaltennis with a ball made out of silly putty. Heseemed always to be saying, ‘‘By God, I want you toget inside this thing and look around and reallyunderstand.’’
143 WEBB Journal of Architectural Education,p. 143 ª 2010 ACSA
