2 Architects Chosen for Pritzker Prize

Two designers known for modernistic styled mega-projects that dominated the architectural scene a quarter-century ago will share this year’s Pritzker Prize and its $100,000 grant.

The international prize considered to be the most prestigious in architecture is to be awarded at a ceremony in Chicago today to Gordon Bunshaft of the United States and Oscar Niemeyer of Brazil. Both were disciples of Le Corbusier and are champions of the so-called International Style.

A member of the firm of Skidmore Owings and Merill, Bunshaft made his mark in 1952 as the designer of the landmark Lever House on Park Avenue in New York City. Other noteworthy projects include the 60-story Chase Manhattan Bank in lower Manhattan, the Hirshorn Museum in Washington and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library in Texas. Now retired, Bunshaft last week celebrated his 79th birthday.

Niemeyer, who is 80 years old, is perhaps best-known for collaborating with Le Corbusier in the late 1940s on the design of the United Nations headquarters in New York City and as the principal architect for many of the buildings in the ultra-modern capital city of Brasilia constructed in the 1960s.

The prize, which is supported by the Chicago-based Hyatt Foundation, is awarded by an independent jury chaired by J. Carter Brown of the National Gallery of Art. Among those previously honored have been Philip Johnson, I. M. Pei and Richard Meier of the United States. Last year’s winner was Kenzo Tange of Japan.