Auguste Perret

Portrait of Auguste Perret (1921) by Bourdelle (1861-1929)

Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris, 1913

Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a world leader and specialist in reinforced concrete construction. In 2005, his post-World War II reconstruction of Le Havre was declared by UNESCO one of the World Heritage Sites.

Biography

Auguste Perret was born in Ixelles, Belgium. He was the brother of the architect Gustave Perret.

Perret worked on a new interpretation of the neo-classical style. He continued to carry the banner of nineteenth century rationalism after Viollet-le-Duc. His efforts to utilize historical typologies executed in new materials were largely eclipsed by the younger media-savvy architect Le Corbusier, Perret's one-time employee, and his ilk.

Perret also served as a juror with Florence Meyer Blumenthal in awarding the Prix Blumenthal, a grant given between 1919 and 1954 to young French painters, sculptors, decorators, engravers, writers, and musicians.^[1]

From 1940 Perret taught at the École des Beaux-Arts. He won the Royal Gold Medal in 1948 and the AIA Gold Medal in 1952.

Work

Interior of the "Chapelle de l'Immaculée Conception", (1930)

• Rue Franklin apartments, Paris, 1902–1904
• Garage Ponthieu, Paris, 1907
• Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris, 1913
• Concrete cathedral in Le Raincy, France, Église Notre-Dame du Raincy, 1923, with stained-glass work by Marguerite Huré
• Concert hall of the École Normale de Musique de Paris, 1929
• Hôtel Saint-Georges, Beirut, Lebanon 1932^[2][3]
• Extensions to the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1945
• City Hall, St. Joseph's Church and further reconstruction of the French city of Le Havre after more than 80,000 inhabitants of that city were left homeless following World War II, 1949–1956
• Gare d'Amiens, 1955
• Villa Aghion, in Alexandria (partial attempt to destroy, 28 August 2009. Destroyed completely by January 21, 2016)
• Tour Perret, Grenoble

Gallery

• 

  St. Joseph's church, Le Havre

• 

  Tour Perret (1924-1925), Grenoble

See Also

• Architecture of Paris
• Paris architecture of the Belle Époque

References

1. "Florence Meyer Blumenthal". Jewish Women's Archive, Michele Siegel.
2. "Hôtels mythiques, hôtels de guerre: Beyrouth, nager dans les ruines". Obsession. 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
3. A Global History of Architecture by Francis D. K. Ching, Mark M. Jarzombek, Vikramaditya Prakash page 712

External links

• Flickr Pool with pictures
• List of realisations on Archiguide
• Auguste Perret on GreatBuildings.com
• Garage Ponthieu at Scholars Resource
• Auguste Perret at Find a Grave