1920-2017

Vincent Scully, one of the true patriarchs of American architecture, passed away at an almost patriarchal age, having turned 97 already. Born in New Haven, Scully studied at Yale University, where he taught for more than sixty years until becoming, as Philip Johnson said, “the most influential architecture teacher ever”. Scully studied the origins of American modernity Modern Architecture: the Architecture of Democracy, 1961), the Greek temples (The Earth, the Temple, and the Gods, 1979), and even the vernacular constructions of the Pueblo indians (Pueblo: Mountain, Village, Dance, 1989). But Scully will be remembered above all for his charisma as a lecturer able to convey to diverse audiences his passion for architecture, as well as for his generosity as mentor of young promising architects (Stern, Goldberger, or Maya Lin), his capacity to disseminate currents such as the ‘New Urbanism,’ and his perspicacity in promoting the careers of Louis Kahn and Robert Venturi. Without moving from his alma mater, Scully made the architecture of the United States rotate on its hinges.