O'Toole Building, New York. Image © Wikimedia CC user Beyond My Ken. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Architect Albert C. Ledner, known for his unorthodox style that subverted the seriousness of the Modernist period, has passed away at the age of 93 in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Beginning as an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright, Ledner went on to have his own successful career designing buildings mainly in New York and New Orleans, where he completed more than 40 projects. He also completed a series of futuristic buildings and meeting halls around the country for the National Maritime Union, including what were perhaps his most famous buildings, the wavy O’Toole Building and the porthole-dotted National Maritime Building (renovated into a hotel by Handel Architects in 2011) in New York.
Image from the Southeastern Architectural Archive. Courtesy <a href='http://https://news.tulane.edu/news/%E2%80%98ashtray-house%E2%80%99-architect-featured-tulane-exhibit'>Tulane University</a>.. ImageSunkel House, New Orleans
In New Orleans, Ledner designed a number of notable residences that experimented with innovative techniques and atypical building materials. One such example, the Sunkel House, was designed for a client couple that both enjoyed smoking. In response, Ledner installed 1,200 glass ashtrays as a decorative element along the house’s facade. The home is now commonly referred to as the Ashtray House.
© Wikimedia CC <a href='http://https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maritime_Hotel_and_Dream_Downtown_Hotel_2.jpg'>user Beyond My Ken</a>. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. ImageMaritime Hotel, New York
Read a full obituary for Ledner in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, here.