Happy 100th Birthday, Victor A. Lundy!

On February 1, 2023, American architect Victor A. Lundy will turn 100 years old. We will mark this milestone in several ways, so please read on for how you can join in and learn more about this mid-century designer. The Lundy Archive, held by the Prints & Photographs Division, numbers more than 56,000 items, and includes sketches and renderings, hundreds of journals, as well as photographs and correspondence between 1940 and 2008.

After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Lundy completed a degree in architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where he studied under Walter Gropius. In 1954, Lundy opened an architectural firm in Sarasota, Florida, where many of his designs for residences, churches and community buildings were constructed. Other notable buildings of his career include the U.S. Tax Court in Washington, D.C., a pavilion for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission traveling exhibit “Atoms for Peace” and his refreshment stands at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair.

Enjoy a peek at these stands for the main food vendor for the World’s Fair, Brass Rail. The whimsical structures were topped with fiberglass sculptures, evoking images of clouds or bubbles.  The photo and drawing below from the Lundy Archive are part of an exhibit at the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building that runs January 17 to April 3, 2023.

 

The exhibit also shares some of his sketchbooks from his time in the Army during World War II:

In addition to this exhibit of select items from the archive, there will also be an in-person tour of the U.S. Tax Court in Washington, D.C. on February 14, 2023. Details about registering for the tour are at the bottom of this post.

And finally, we will also have a virtual talk given by our guest speaker, Donna Kacmar, FAIA, professor at the University of Houston, and editor of “Victor Lundy: Artist Architect” with a discussion about Mr. Lundy’s work and approach to design, as part of the Prints and Photographs Division’s Finding Pictures series. We hope you will join us to learn more about Mr. Lundy and his designs. Register for free below.

Learn More:

• Celebrate Victor A. Lundy’s 100th Birthday:
  • Register for the virtual talk by Donna Kacmar, FAIA entitled Finding Pictures: Happy 100th Birthday, Victor A. Lundy here.
  • Join an in-person tour of the U.S. Tax Court in Washington, D.C. at 400 2nd Street, NW, on February 14, 2023 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees must register here and arrive at the U.S. Tax Court by 1:30 pm for the security check, and bring a government-issued ID.
  • Visit the exhibit on the first floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building from January 17 to April 3, 2023. Reserve your timed entry passes and read more about visiting the Library’s exhibits here.
• Explore more of the Victor A. Lundy Archive through digitized items in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.
• See more examples of Lundy’s drawings from his World War II sketchbooks.