Ulrich Franzen

Who was Ulrich Franzen?

Ulrich Joseph Franzen was a German-born American architect known for his "fortresslike" buildings and Brutalist style.

Franzen was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, the son of Eric and Lisbeth Hellersberg Franzen. They emigrated to the United States in 1936. He lived with his mother and a younger brother once his parents divorced. He obtained an undergraduate degree from Williams College, and after one semester at the architectural school at Harvard University, joined the Army. After World War II ended, he obtained a master's degree from Harvard in 1950. By 1951, he was working for I. M. Pei. He left Pei and formed his own firm, Ulrich Franzen & Associates, in 1955.

The Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas, which was completed in 1968, was Franzen's first prominent solo project. His other notable projects include the East and West towers at Hunter College, and the Philip Morris headquarters in New York City.

Franzen died on October 6, 2012, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, survived by his wife Josephine. He was 91.