Edward Durell Stone (1902-1978)

Edward Durell Stone, a native son of Fayetteville, Arkansas, was a major figure in twentieth-century architecture. He attended the University of Arkansas from 1920 to 1923, then moved to Boston to take courses at the Boston Architectural Club, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1927, he was awarded the Rotch Scholarship, which enabled him to travel and study architecture in Europe from 1927 to 1929. On his return from Europe in 1929, Stone worked with several architectural firms in New York before establishing his own firm, Edward Durell Stone & Associates in 1936. This firm later expanded to include Edward Durell Stone, Inc., Hicks Drafting Corporation, and Torch Realty. Stone continued to practice architecture and take an active role in the firm's practice until 1974, when his health declined. He is associated with the International Style, which originated in Europe in the 1920s and came to the United States shortly thereafter. This architecture made use of modern building techniques and materials such as steel, concrete, and large expanses of glass. In the 1940s and 1950s, he developed a more individualistic style, incorporating classical traditions and contemporary materials and methods. He was an early critic of what he called "America the Un-Beautiful," the tendency to sacrifice natural and civic beauty to growth and "progress." Stone designed many significant structures for government, education, and business clients throughout the world. The United States Embassy in New Delhi (1954), the United States Pavilion at the Brussels World's Fair (1958), and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington (1958), are among his most successful and prestigious projects. (Text courtesy the University of Arkansas, Special Collections)

Life photo of E.D. Stone at his New York studio apartment. He is posing in front of his "signature" grill work also used at Carlson Terrace at the University of Arkansas. Photo by Dmitri Kessel. Courtesy U of A Special Collections.

Read, Write, Discuss

Carlson Terrace Apartments, University of Arkansas Immediately Endangered! Read here for more information.

References:
Edward Durell Stone Papers, held at the University of Arkansas Libraries, Special Collections department. Donated to the University in 1975, with a second gift in 1979. "The collection thoroughly documents his career from 1945 to 1974, when he retired from active practice. It contains all kinds of paper records: correspondence, photographic prints and slides, speeches, and about twenty thousand drawings ranging from quick conceptual sketches to finished presentation renderings. The collection is open to researchers upon application to Special Collections and a finding aid is on line."

For additional biographical information concerning Stone, consult the University of Arkansas Special Collections Vertical File, as well as Stone's two autobiographies, The Evolution of an Architect (1962) and Recent and Future Architecture (1967).

Project Index of the Stone Papers. Projects are listed alphabetically using the Project List from the second accession (Appendix 1) as an authority list. All files for any project are listed under one project title, with cross references to other job titles. Under each project title, the index refers to the first or second accession (or both), followed by the series title and the number of the box containing the materials.

Abbreviated List of Projects:

Amoco Building, Chicago, Illinois, 1972. Link to photos by Mary Ann Sullivan.

Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO, 1966, Sverdrup & Parcel and Associates; Edward Durell Stone (design collaborator); Schwarz & Van Hoefen, Associated. Home of the St. Louis Cardinals. Details on the RPPN Arenas, Stadiums & Superdomes page.

National Geographic Society Headquarters, Washington, D.C. 1964
Dedicated January 18, 1964 and appears in the May 1964 National Geographic Magazine.

New Graduate Residence Hall, University of Chicago, Illinois, 1963.
Link to photos by Mary Ann Sullivan.

New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (2 Columbus Circle), New York, 1963.
Link to photos by Mary Ann Sullivan.

North Carolina State Legislature Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1963.
Photo at VirtualRaleigh.com.

State University of New York at Albany, 1964. Link to photos by Mary Ann Sullivan.

	Stuhr Museum, near Grand Island, Nebraska, 1967 "The building is fully surrounded by a water-filled moat complete with Koi fish and a splendid walkway up to the impressive main structure of the museum." Photos and more description of the building, including twin spiral staircases and four fountains, available at the Stuhr Museum site.
Courtesy Stuhr Museum

Shade pavilion, Stuart Pharmaceutical Company Office and Plant, 3360 E. Foothill Boulevard, Pasadena, 1958. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places (at the state-wide level of significance) in 1997. Edward Durell Stone, architect; Thomas Church, landscape architect. Set in a sunken courtyard, the shade pavilion is adjacent to an elliptical swimming pool and bath house designed for the employees of the Stuart Company. The steel-framed structure, originally painted gold, has a folded plywood roof. It is now in deteriorated condition. It may, however, be rehabilitated as part of a proposal for new development on the site.

The Stuart Company building is notable for the decorative screen wall, which became a signature feature of Stone's work in the late 1950s. The shade pavilion is a rare surviving artifact of Space-Age design with associations with two famous designers: Stone and Church. Submitted by member Jeff Cronin.

University of Arkansas. "The Fine Arts Center, dedicated in 1951, was designed by one of the giants of 20th Century architecture, Edward Durell Stone (1902-1978), a Fayetteville native and former University of Arkansas student. His innovative design combined facilities for music, drama, and the fine arts programs, which were being expanded to reach more students in the post-war curriculum. Stone was architect for the Kennedy Center in Washington, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. For the Fayetteville campus, he also designed Carlson Terrace apartments and the Sigma Nu house. This Marker is located in the courtyard of the Fine Arts complex."

Currently the University of Arkansas plans to tear down all of Carlson Terrace (18 buildings) even though the 1998 Master Plan advises otherwise. Reasons for tearing it down include: “With the cost of replacing any of them, it’s cheaper just to do it all.”; It no longer meets the university’s needs; it’s dangerous because it floods; it’s an eyesore; it’s one of the most dilapidated groups of buildings on campus; and, my personal favorite, it has cockroaches!

If you are interested in helping to save Stone's buildings at the University of Arkansas, please contact The Washington County Historic Preservation Assn., 617 W. Lafayette Fayetteville, AR 72701

Other works by Stone include: The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C.; the Museum of Modern Art; the Panama Hotel in Panama City; the United States Embassy in New Delhi, India; the GM Tower in New York City; the United States Pavilion at the Brussels World’s Fair (1958); and the Hartford Gallery of Modern Art (2 Columbus Circle).

Do you have photos or information on a project by Edward Durell Stone?
Please send to submit@recentpast.org. See our Submit page for guidelines.

Archive of Past Events & Issues:

The Future of 2 Columbus Circle: A panel discussion on Edward Durell Stone's controversial Gallery of Modern Art. Panelists: Kurt Andersen, Novelist, host of Studio 360; Reed Kroloff, Architecture critic; former Editor-in-Chief, Architecture magazine; Robert A.M. Stern, FAIA, Founder and Senior Partner, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Dean, Yale School of Architecture; Billie Tsien, FAIA, Principal, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects. Moderator: Thomas Mellins, Architectural and urban historian. Designed by Edward Durell Stone and completed in 1964, Huntington Hartford's Gallery of Modern Art at 2 Columbus Circle has been loved, loathed, and continues to be at the center of heated debate concerning modern architecture and its preservation. Soon, the building may be transformed to become a cultural center once more. The possibility of a new life for 2 Columbus Circle, as well as renewed interest in Stone and his legacy, invites many questions. Is Stone's building a significant example of New York's modern legacy? What urban lessons does it teach, and what values stand to be lost - or gained - if the building is altered or demolished? Sponsored by LANDMARK WEST! and the Center for Architecture/AIA New York Chapter. LANDMARK WEST! 212-496-8110 or landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org. Update: RPPN is working to obtain audio/video tapes of this session. Stay tuned for more information.

A Morning With Edward Durell Stone The Washington County Historic Preservation Association will host this event on Saturday, March 8 at 10:00 a.m. in the Community Room of the Fayetteville Public Library, 217 E. Dickson Street. The film from the 100th anniversary of his birth celebration in March of 2002 presented by Ernie Jacks at the School of Architecture, University of Arkansas, will be shown. The film is an excellent documentation of the importance of one of the world’s most renowned modern architects who was born, raised, and educated in Fayetteville. Airing the film will be part of an ongoing effort to promote the preservation of his designs in Fayetteville which include: the Fine Arts Theater; the Sigma Nu house; and Carlson Terrace, all on the University of Arkansas campus; and his first implemented design as a student of art at the U of A in 1922, the southeast steps leading to the front lawn of Old Main. The event is free and open to the public. The film is one hour and 15 minutes long. For more information about the event call 444-6170.

Architect's Centennial Marked with Exhibit In honor of the centennial of the birth of architect Edward Durell Stone, the University of Arkansas Libraries have mounted an exhibit from the Stone Papers in Special Collections. The exhibit contains photographs, published accounts of Stone's career, some of his own writings, and documents from the files of his professional office. Stone's connections to his birthplace in Fayetteville are noted, as well as his friendship with another Fayetteville celebrity, J. William Fulbright. The exhibit is open to the public during Special Collections' regular hours, Monday-Friday 8-5, and Saturdays 9-1 in Room 130 of David W. Mullins Library. Details at the University of Arkansas.

The Future of 2 Columbus Circle: A panel discussion on Edward Durell Stone's controversial Gallery of Modern Art. Panelists: Kurt Andersen, Novelist, host of Studio 360; Reed Kroloff, Architecture critic; former Editor-in-Chief, Architecture magazine; Robert A.M. Stern, FAIA, Founder and Senior Partner, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Dean, Yale School of Architecture; Billie Tsien, FAIA, Principal, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects. Moderator: Thomas Mellins, Architectural and urban historian. Designed by Edward Durell Stone and completed in 1964, Huntington Hartford's Gallery of Modern Art at 2 Columbus Circle has been loved, loathed, and continues to be at the center of heated debate concerning modern architecture and its preservation. LANDMARK WEST! and the Center for Architecture/AIA New York Chapter now bring you the complete transcript of this session. Read here.

Home

National Windshield Survey

Calendar

Preservation

Resources

The Network

Join RPPN

Submit

www.recentpast.org