Benjamin C. Thompson (July 3, 1918 – August 21, 2002) was an American architect. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An architect is a licensed individual who leads a design team in the Planning and Design of buildings and participates in oversight of Building Construction

Thompson was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, graduated from Yale University in 1941, then spent four years in the United States Navy fighting in World War II. Saint Paul ( abbreviated St Paul) is the capital and second most populous city in the U Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including After the war he moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts where he spent the rest of his life. Cambridge Massachusetts is a City in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, United States.

Thompson began his career as an architect in 1946 when he convinced Walter Gropius to form The Architects' Collaborative with himself and four Yale classmates. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Walter Adolph Georg Gropius ( May 18, 1883 &ndash July 5, 1969) was a German Architect and founder of Bauhaus The Architects' Collaborative ( TAC) was an American Architectural firm formed by Walter Gropius and seven younger architects in 1945 in In 1953 he founded Design Research, a company that provided interior furnishings and accessories. Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Design Research is often noted today for being the first U. S. proprietor of the Finnish clothing and textiles of Marimekko. Marimekko is a Finnish company based in Helsinki that has made important contributions to Fashion, especially in the 1960s and 1970s Jaqueline Kennedy was pictured on the cover of Life Magazine in the early 60's in a Marimekko dress purchased at Thompson's Brattle Street store, boosting the fashion craze for the Finnish designs.

He also designed the company's first store, notable for its extreme openness and use of glass; the firm eventually added stores in New York (1964) and San Francisco (1965). Thomson's interest in modernism, however, was balanced by appreciation of older architecture. In the late 1950s he renovated Harvard Yard's historic dormitories by updating their interior arrangements without visible exterior effect. Harvard Yard is a grassy area of about twenty-five acres (01 km² adjacent to Harvard Square in Cambridge Massachusetts, which constitutes the oldest part Shortly thereafter he persuaded Harvard to remodel Boylston Hall (built 1857) rather than demolish it.

During those years, Thompson taught architecture at Harvard University, and served as Department Chairman 1964-1968. His 1966 essay, “Visual Squalor and Social Disorder,” argued for an urban architecture that would encourage, rather than discourage, joy and social life. To this end, in 1967 he proposed reviving Boston's historic markets with food stalls, cafes, restaurants, and pushcarts.

Thompson separated from the Collaborative in 1966, and started his own firm, Benjamin Thompson and Associates (BTA). His five-story, all-glass showcase for Design Research opened in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1970. Cambridge Massachusetts is a City in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, United States. (As of 2005 it houses Crate and Barrel. Crate & Barrel is a chain of American Retail stores based in Northbrook Illinois, specializing in Housewares, Furniture (indoor )

He is probably best known for a series of collaborations with the developer James W. Rouse, including the Faneuil Hall Marketplace (1976), Harborplace (1980), South Street Seaport (1985), Bayside Marketplace in Miami (1987), and Jacksonville Landing in Jacksonville, Florida (1987). James Wilson Rouse ( April 26, 1914 - April 9, 1996) founder of The Rouse Company, was a pioneering American Real Faneuil Hall (ˈfænl̩ previously /ˈfʌnl̩/ located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a marketplace Harborplace is a Festival marketplace in Baltimore Maryland, that opened in 1980 as a centerpiece of the revival of downtown Baltimore The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located where Fulton Street meets the East River Bayside Marketplace is an indoor/outdoor marketplace located in Downtown Miami, just south of the AmericanAirlines Arena on Biscayne Bay The Jacksonville Landing has been compared to New York City's South Street Seaport Boston's Faneuil Hall or Miami's Bayside--for good reason

Thompson was married to Mary Okes, with whom he had 5 children: Deborah, Anthony, Marina, Nicholas, and Benjamin.

His second marriage was to the urban planner Jane McCullough Thompson, with whom he collaborated on many of his major projects. He received honorary doctorates from Colby College, the University of Massachusetts, and Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Colby College, founded in 1813, is an American private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville Maine. The University of Massachusetts (officially nicknamed UMass) is the five-campus public university system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD is a private non-profit four-year and post-graduate College specializing in the Visual arts. In 1987 BTA received the AIA Firm Award and in 1992 Thompson received the highest honor in American architecture, the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects. The American Institute of Architects (AIA is a professional organization for Architects in the United States. ^[1]

Designs

• Design Research Headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Harborplace in Baltimore, Maryland
• South Street Seaport in New York, New York
• Bayside Marketplace in Miami, Florida
• Jacksonville Landing in Jacksonville, Florida

References

External links

• Benjamin Thompson at greatbuildings.com
• Biography by BTA Architects, Inc.