Professor, History & Preservation
Education
Ph.D., Art History, Princeton University, NJ, 1989
M.A., Art History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1984
B.A., Art History, University of Chicago, 1974
Academic Experience
Professor, School of Architecture, UIUC; 2002-present
Associate Professor, School of Architecture; 1995-2002
Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, UIUC; 1989-95
Lecturer, School of Architecture, UIUC; 1988-89
Publications
Book: Frank Lloyd Wright and Midway Gardens. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press; 1998
Book: Two American Architects in India: Walter B. Griffin and Marion M. Griffin, 1935-1937. Urbana, IL: School of Architecture; 1997
Book: Walter Burley Griffin in America. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1996
Article: “I Midway Gardens: la decorazione, lo spettacolo, la sorpresa” [“Midway Gardens: Decoration, Entertainment, Surprise"] Casabella 684/685 (Dec 2000/Jan 2001): 22-37
Article: “Art for Architecture: Mural Painting in the Prairie School,” Block Points 3-4 (1998): 8-31
Article: “A New Look at the Illinois Architects’ Licensing Law,” Illinois Historical Journal 90 (Autumn 1997): 154-166
Chapters in books: “Chicago 1900: the Griffins Come of Age,” pp. 10-25, and “Creating a Modern Architecture for India,” pp. 138-159, in A. Watson, ed., Beyond Architecture: Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin; America, Australia, India. Sydney: Powerhouse Publishing; 1998
Research
“Walter Burley Griffin in America: the Complete Works.” A catalogue raisonne. By Fall 2002.
“Robert C. Spencer, Jr.: an Architect of the Middle West.” A critical biography. By Spring 2004.
Presentations and Lectures
Lecture: “`A House in the Spirit of the Times`: The meaning of Griffin’s Ricker House,” Convocation Address, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA; April 2001
Lecture: “Louis Sullivan’s Search for an `Expressive, Synthetic, and Virile` Architectural Ornament for the Modern Age,” for the Prairie Arts & Crafts Conference, Millikin University, Decatur, IL; September 2000
Lecture: “Towards an Arts-and-Crafts Architecture in America: A Question of Style,” for the international symposium, “Uniting the Useful with the Beautiful: the Ideas that Formed the Arts and Crafts Movement,” Perry, IA; October 1999
Lecture: “Creating a Modern Architecture for India,” keynote speaker, Annual Meeting, Walter Burley Griffin Society, Sydney, Australia; September 1998
Paper: “The Mural Program at Midway Gardens: Frank Lloyd Wright and Public Art,” Annual Meeting, College Art Association, Philadelphia, PA; February 2002
Paper: “Planning the Suburban House: Robert Spencer’s Advice to Clients,” Annual Convention, Society of Architectural Historians, Houston, TX; April 1999
Professional Memberships
National Trust for Historic Preservation; 1982-present
Society of Architectural Historians; 1984-present
Graduate Faculty, UIUC; 1989-present
Professional and University Service
Member (appointed), Curriculum Committee, School of Architecture, UIUC; 1998, 1999, 2001
Member (elected), Executive Committee, School of Architecture, UIUC; 1996, 1997, 1999
Chair (appointed), Faculty of History & Preservation, School of Architecture, UIUC; 1999-2002
Member, Board of Directors, Walter Burley Griffin Society of America; 1999-present
Member, Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, three-year term; beginning January 2002
Scholarly Advisor, for documentary film “Walter Burley Griffin: In His Own Right,” produced for WILL-TV; first aired Fall 1998
Awards and Honors
Grant: Research Board, UIUC, October 2001; to research Griffin’s American buildings at the Avery Library at Columbia University
Grant: Research Board, UIUC, November 1997; to prepare an exhibition and catalog for “George G. Elmslie: the Hammond Schools,” I space, Chicago, February 1998, with Professor R. E. Schmitt
Grant: Graham Foundation, Chicago, November 1996; to publish the book to accompany the exhibition, “Two American Architects in India”
Award: Undergraduate teaching award, College of Fine and Applied Arts, UIUC; April 2000
Additional Information
Paul Kruty