Austrian-American Elizabeth “Lisl” Scheu Close (1912–2011), Minnesota’s first modern architect, was at the forefront of professionally-trained women architects nationally and internationally. Her almost century-long life, which began in pre-World War I Austria during the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I and ended in Minneapolis in the heyday of Prince, was shaped by the artistic, political, social, and economic upheavals of the twentieth century. During her prolific career, she designed more than 250 modern residences, as well as numerous state-of-the-art hospitals, laboratories, and other commercial buildings. A new exhibition on display at the Austrian Embassy showcases the life and work of Scheu Close.
On the occasion of this opening, the ACFDC and the Austrian Embassy were pleased to host exhibition curator Jane King Hession, author of the book Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture (2020), who shared her insights into Elizabeth Scheu Close.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Photo © Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture | University of Minnesota Press
Elizabeth “Lisl” Scheu Close (1912–2011) left an indelible mark on Minnesota’s built landscape during her six decades as an architect. In 1938, with her husband, Winston Close, she founded the state’s first architecture firm dedicated to modernism. In addition to designing the first International Style house in Minneapolis, the firm also created more than 250 handsome and efficiently planned modern residences. One of few women who were practicing architects in the mid-twentieth century, she blazed a trail for future generations of women in the profession.
As Jane King Hession shows, the trajectory of Lisl’s architectural career was shaped by the political, economic, and aesthetic upheavals of the twentieth century. Raised in a renowned modern house in Vienna, Austria, Lisl was exposed to revolutionary ideas in art and architecture at a young age. Forced to emigrate to the United States as the Nazis rose to power in Europe, she completed her architectural education at MIT. During the Depression, she struggled to find work and encountered challenges as a young woman in the field. In her pursuit of and devotion to a singular and successful career as a modern architect, she proved herself to be talented, determined, and adept at negotiating obstacles.
Through documentation of Lisl’s projects, this personal and professional biography also explores multiple aspects of modern architecture, including the innovative use of new materials and technologies, the design of prefabricated houses, and the relationship between residential design and changing American lifestyles.
University of Minnesota Press
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JANE KING HESSION
Photo © Jane King Hession
Jane King Hession is a Minneapolis-based architectural writer and historian specializing in midcentury modernism. She was born and raised in New York's Hudson River Valley.
She holds a Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) from the University of Minnesota and Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Art History from SUNY Albany. She is a past president of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and the Minneapolis Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians, and a founding partner of Modern House Productions.
FROM THE EXHIBITION
