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Wirt Clinton Rowland (December 1, 1878 - November 30, 1946) was an American architect best known for his work in Detroit, Michigan. ==Biography== Rowland was born December 1, 1878 in Clinton, Michigan to Clinton Charles and Melissa Ruth Rowland.〔Historical Society of the Village of Clinton, Michigan. (Wirt Rowland Architect ) (2004). Retrieved on June 17, 2012.〕 In 1901, he landed a job as an office boy for the Detroit firm of Rogers and MacFarlane, quickly moving on to the prestigious George D. Mason firm. In 1909, he joined the office of Albert Kahn Associates, who had also apprenticed under Mason. In 1910, with the encouragement of both Mason and Kahn, Rowland attended the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge, for a year.〔 The combination of Rowland's natural design talent, Harvard education, and Detroit's healthy economy positioned him to make major contributions to the city's architecture. Rowland is a case study in design attribution. In 1911, in the office of Kahn, he and Ernest Wilby are said have been primarily responsible for the Hill Auditorium at the University of Michigan. Through 1915 Rowland worked for the local firm of Malcomson & Higginbotham. He then returned to Kahn's office, contributing to the firm's classic projects, namely the Hatcher Graduate Library at the University of Michigan, the Detroit News Building, the First National Building(1922), and the General Motors Building (1922) renamed Cadillac Place.〔 Rowland's career peaked as Head Designer (1922–1930) of Smith Hinchman & Grylls (SmithGroup). There, he designed a dozen major structures in downtown Detroit; among these, are a number of the city's most accomplished and evocative buildings. To a large extent, Rowland helped define Detroit's architectural genre.〔〔AIA Detroit Urban Priorities Committee, (January 10, 2006).(Top 10 Detroit Interiors ).''Model D Media''. Retrieved on July 28, 2008.〕 Of the Guardian building Rowland said, ''We no longer live in a leisurely age, . . What we see we must see quickly in passing, and the impression must be immediate, strong, and complete. Color has this vital power.''〔Mazzei, Rebecca (November 30, 2005).(Still Standing ). ''Metro Times''. Retrieved on July 28, 2008.〕 For the Guardian Building, he had assembled a multitude of artisans, mosaicists, sculptors, painters, and tile manufacturers including Corrado Parducci, muralist Ezra Winter, and tile from the Rookwood and Pewabic pottery companies.〔 He thus recreated the architectural synthesis of a medieval cathedral. Hence, Rowland had reached a climax, when his Union Trust/Guardian Building became known as ''the Cathedral of Finance.''〔Zacharias, Pat (March 10, 2001).(Guardian Building has long been the crown jewel in the Detroit skyline ). Michigan History, ''Detroit News''. Retrieved on June 2, 2008.〕 The Guardian Building opened in 1929. With the onset of the Great Depression, most of the employees of Smith Hinchman & Grylls were let go, including Rowland. In January 1931, he joined in a partnership with his long-time friend, Augustus (Gus) O'Dell. The firm secured a small number of important commissions supplemented with reconstruction necessitated by the widening of Woodward Avenue, and by insurance re-valuations of existing buildings. Late in life, he returned to a purer, Gothic idiom for his last few projects, notably preliminary sketches for the Kirk in the Hills. The church was built after the war to a design by George D. Mason & Co., Rowland having died in 1946. He was a member of the Chandler Park Partnership, a group of nineteen architects and engineers that designed Parkside housing project (1935–38) in Detroit.During World War II, the Guardian Building would serve as headquarters for war time production.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wirt C. Rowland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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