Howard T. Fisher

Howard T. Fisher (1903–1979) was an architect, city planner, and educator.

Early life

Howard Taylor Fisher was born October 30, 1903, in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were Walter Lowrie Fisher and Mabel Taylor. He graduated from Harvard College with a Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, in 1926.[1] He attended the School of Architecture, Harvard University, from 1926 to 1928.[2]

Work in architecture

Fisher started his career as an architect in 1931 with a solo practice in Chicago, which continued until 1943.[2]

In 1932, he founded General Houses, Inc. in Chicago to design, sell, and erect low-cost prefabricated housing.[3] The company's system included eight types of prefabricated steel-framed modular panels: solid, small window, large window, glass, entrance door, kitchen door, double doors, and a fireplace. Panels were typically four-feet wide by nine-feet high - except the fireplace panel was taller, and the garage door panel was twice as wide. The panels could be assembled in a wide variety of configurations to suit individual clients' needs and specific sites. For example, one General Houses house that was built on a hillside had three stories with the living room on the top floor to best enjoy the view. The General Houses, Inc. building system was the subject of U.S. patent 1,969,125 issued August 7, 1934.[4]

A marketing slogan of the company was "A house that's twice as good at half the price."[3] General Houses cost about $3,000 to $4,500.[5]

During the Century of Progress, Fisher had two prefabricated houses on display. The first was part of "The Work of the Young Architects of the Midwest" exhibit, which also featured the work of Fisher's rival, Robert W. McLaughlin, Jr.[6] Another house, built for Ruth Page was described as an interesting, albeit gloomy, house with an awkward spatial layout.[7]

General Houses, Inc.'s first house was erected in 1933 in Winnetka, Illinois, but no longer stands.[3]

The House at 130 Mohegan Avenue, completed in November 1933 for about $4,500, is a surviving example of a General Houses house. It is a single-story prefabricated home measuring 21 feet (6.4 m) by 37 feet (11 m) on a concrete slab.[8][9]

General Houses, Inc., wound up its business in 1947.[10]

In 1943, Fisher established Howard T. Fisher & Associates in Chicago to practice architecture and city planning. The firm wound up its business in 1965.[1]

He became a Member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1949 and remained a Member until his death. In 1966, he became an Emeritus Member. He was made a member of the College of Fellows of the AIA in 1974.[2]

Work as an educator

In 1965 Fisher founded the Harvard Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis at the Graduate School of Design, serving as its director until 1968. From 1966 to 1970 he was a professor of city planning, and a research professor in cartography from 1970 until his retirement in 1975.[1]

Personal

Fisher married Marion Hall on February 11, 1939. They had three children: Ann Bourne Fisher (deceased), Morgan Hall Fisher, and Alan Hall Fisher.[1]

He died January 24, 1979, in Exeter, New Hampshire.[11]

References
  1. Who's Who in America, 40th edition, 1978-1979.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-05. Retrieved 2015-01-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "General Houses, Inc. (Archive.org capture from April 8, 2011)". Connecticut College. Archived from the original on April 8, 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  4. "Our Homes," advertising brochure published by General Houses, Inc., editors J. Eugene Armes, Ruth Fisher, and P. D. Paddock, Chicago 1934.
  5. Arieff, Allison; Burkhart, Bryan (2002). PREFAB. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. p. 15.
  6. Schulze, Franz (1996). Philip Johnson: Life and Work. University of Chicago Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0226740584. Archived from the original on 2014-10-11. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  7. Elderfield, John (1998). Philip Johnson and the Museum of Modern Art. The Museum of Modern Art. p. 53. ISBN 9780870701177. Archived from the original on 2014-07-06. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  8. "About the House (Archive.org capture from January 8, 2009)". Connecticut College. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  9. "History (Archive.org capture from January 8, 2009)". Connecticut College. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  10. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-01-05. Retrieved 2015-01-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2015-01-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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