Archinect - News

Denise Scott Brown remembers John Rauch, long-time partner and influential driver of postmodernism, who passed away aged 91

2022-08-25T12:18:00-04:00

An influential figure in the development of American postmodernism has been lost after news that former Venturi, Scott Brown partner John Rauch passed away in Philadelphia last week.

Rauch was born and raised in the city and educated at Wesleyan University and UPenn before entering the profession following his service in the U.S. Army. He was an early champion of the work of his partner Robert Venturi and would, through their combined efforts under the then-moniker Venturi and Rauch, contribute to formative projects including the influential Vanna Venturi house and Fire Station #4 that defined the scope and trajectory of architecture for another thirty years.

Fire Station #4 in Columbus, Indiana. Image courtesy Library of Congress

The practice continued to evolve after the addition of Denise Scott Brown in 1969 and publication of Learning from Las Vegas in 1972. Rauch would again be instrumental in the selection of major higher-ed commissions for Yale, Princeton, and Ohio State Unive...

Preservation groups urge to save Venturi, Rauch, and Scott Brown-designed postmodern Abrams House from demolition

2018-09-07T15:36:00-04:00

With more and more buildings of the postmodern school regaining media attention—either by entering the realm of heritage protection or by getting contemporary makeovers (essentially taking the Po out of PoMo)—we've now learned about another threatened structure, designed in the late 1970s by Venturi, Rauch, and Scott Brown (DSB was awarded the 2018 Soane Medal earlier this week).

The Society of Architectural Historians and Docomomo US have issued a joint statement calling for the protection of the Abrams House in Pittsburgh, calling it a "landmark of American architecture" and a "significant example" of American postmodern architecture on a par with the AT&T Building and the Portland Municipal Services Building.

Image: realtor.com, via docomomo-us.org.

Here's an excerpt of the statement:

The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) and Docomomo US express strong opposition to the demolition of the Venturi, Rauch, and Scott Brown-designed Abrams House, 118A Woodland Road, Pittsburgh...