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Myron Goldfinger

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Myron Henry Goldfinger (February 17, 1933 – July 20, 2023) was an American architect best known for designing large angular abstract houses in New York and New Jersey.

Life and career

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Myron Henry Goldfinger was born on February 17, 1933, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he was also raised.[1] He graduated from Atlantic City High School in 1950, then from University of Pennsylvania in 1955, where he studied under Louis Kahn. Goldfinger then served in Army for two years designing cabinetry at the Pentagon. After the military, Goldfinger worked for Skidmore Owings & Merrill and Philip Johnson before opening his own office in 1966.[2] In the same year, he also got a teaching position at the Pratt Institute, where he worked for 10 years.[1]

Goldfinger first rose to prominence with a building he designed in 1970 in Waccabuc.[1] He went on to design various houses in the 1980s. He created various homes in the suburbs of northern New Jersey to southwest Connecticut.[1] He was best known for his homes in the richer areas of New York, most notably in the Hamptons. In 1981 Goldfinger designed a home for Fred Jaroslow, the chief operating officer of Weight Watchers.[1] Goldfinger was also the architect of the Conason House in Southampton, New York (1984), which featured prominently in the Martin Scorsese film, The Wolf of Wall Street.[1] Later on in his life he started designing more buildings outside of New York,[1] including the luxury resort Altamer Luxury Villas in Anguilla.[3]

Goldfinger was also known for his publications. Villages in the Sun, from 1969, discussed the architectural style of the Mediterranean,[4] as well as the designer of the "elegant, high-style" beachside hotel Cove Castles[5] (1985).[6]

Personal life

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In 1966, Goldfinger married June Matkovic. Together they had two daughters.[1]

He died of liver cancer on July 20, 2023, in Westchester County, N.Y., at the age of 90.[2][1]

Publications

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  • Goldfinger, Myron. Villages in the Sun: Mediterranean Community Architecture. New York: Praeger, 1969. OCLC 53690. According to WorldCat, the book is held in 393 libraries.[7]
    • Spanish translation Arquitectura popular mediterránea Barcelona: G. Gili, 1993. ISBN 9788425216114
  • Goldfinger, Myron. Myron Goldfinger, Architect. New York City, NY: Artium Books, 1992 ISBN 9780963314406
  • Goldfinger, Myron The Goldfinger Caribbean: New York : Artium Books, 2005 ISBN 9780963314413

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Risen, Clay (August 3, 2023). "Myron Goldfinger, 90, Architect of Monumental Modernist Homes, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Myron Henry Goldfinger, FAIA (1933–2023)". USModernist. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  3. ^ Jordan S. Simon (March 19, 2007). Frommer's Portable St. Maarten/St. Martin, Anguilla & St. Barts. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 142–. ISBN 978-0-470-12696-7.
  4. ^ Jean-Francois Lejeune; Michelangelo Sabatino (December 17, 2009). Modern Architecture and the Mediterranean: Vernacular Dialogues and Contested Identities. Routledge. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-1-135-25026-3.
  5. ^ K. C. Nash (January 4, 2011). Anguilla Travel Adventures. Hunter Publishing, Inc. pp. 40–. ISBN 978-1-58843-702-0.
  6. ^ Darwin Porter; Danforth Prince (November 13, 2006). Frommer's Caribbean 2007. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 61–. ISBN 978-0-470-06985-1.
  7. ^ WorldCat item record
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