Gordon Kaufmann

Gordon Bernie Kaufmann (19 March 1888 – 1 March 1949) was an English-born American architect mostly known for his work on the Hoover Dam.

Biography

Gordon Kaufmann was born in 1888 in Forest Hill, London, England and graduated from London Polytechnic Institute, circa 1908. Kaufmann then moved to Vancouver, BC, where he spen the next six years. He arrived in California in 1914 and settled in Fresno, CA.

During his early career, he did much work in the Mediterranean Revival Style, which had become popular at that time. He was also the initial architect for Scripps College, a liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges.

Kaufmann, along with landscape architect Edward Huntsman-Trout, designed the general campus plan featuring four residence halls to be built the first four consecutive years of the College (1927–1930). The project's design is primarily in the Mediterranean Revival style.

While gaining recognition for his work on the Scripps campus, he was also hired by California Institute of Technology in 1928 to design the complex of dormitories now known as the South Houses, and the building for the Athenaeum, a private club located on the school's campus.

Later in his career, Kaufmann worked primarily in the Art Deco style, with a personal emphasis on massively thick, streamlined concrete walls which gave his buildings a very distinctive appearance. Kaufmann's buildings as a result took on a very "mechanical" appearance, often resembling huge versions of old-fashioned appliances. The Los Angeles Times' headquarters is a perfect example of this.

Notable projects

• Greystone Mansion, 1928
• Santa Anita Park, 1934
• Hollywood Palladium, 1940