Paul Rudolph Architect Rupp and Farrell Architects Rupp Architects
Buildings
Scott Commercial Building Davis House Uhr Studio Caladesi National Bank Denedin The Pavilion House Brentwood Elementary School Rupp House
Scott Building (McCulloch Pavilion - Center For Architecture Sarasota)Kirsch House (Lido Shores, Sarasota, Florida)
William J. Rupp (August 25, 1927 – February 7, 2002) was one of the modernist American architects considered part the Sarasota School of Architecture.
Early life and education
Rupp was born on August 25, 1927, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Frank J. and Sarah Viola Rupp. At eighteen, Rupp was inducted into the U.S. Army as an infantryman. After an extended period of military service, during which time he moved to Florida, he remained in the military reserves until he was honorably discharged in 1955. Post active service, Rupp attended the University of Florida, graduating in 1953 with Phi Kappa Phi honors in design (architecture). In 1957, he married Gwendolyn Marie O'Rourke.[1][2]
We students at the University of Florida in the early 50s began to hear of an architect named Twitchell doing some remarkable work. Some students went down and reported that, in fact, the work was being done by a young Harvard man named Rudolph. Soon the publications were being sought and studied. A field trip was organized to see Frank Lloyd Wright's campus at Lakeland and over to Sarasota for the work of Twitchell and Rudolph. Both principals were out of town but an accommodating young man, Mark Hampton, their sole employee, took us on the tour. It is no understatement to say that we felt that we had found "The Answer".
Upon graduation, Rupp worked with founding Sarasota School of Architecture member Paul Rudolph, eventually managing Rudolph's Sarasota office.[4] In 1955, Rudolph left Florida for New York City, and Rupp opened a private architectural practice at 224 South Orange Avenue, downtown Sarasota. During the next several years, Rupp worked closely with his architectural peers in Sarasota; Ralph Twitchell, Jack West, Gene Leedy, Tim Seibert, Victor Lundy, and Bert Brosmith.[5] In 1959, he formed Associated Architects with friend and fellow architect Joseph Farrell.[6] Although this partnership lasted two years, they produced several significant works, including Uhr Residence-Studio,[7][8] Rupp Home,[9][10] Kirsch House, Caladesi National Bank in Dunedin,[11] the Pavilion House,[12][13] and the dining pavilion at the Ringling Museum of Art.
In 1959, Clarence Scott commissioned Rupp and Farrell to design a commercial building that would serve as a showroom for the Barkus Furniture Company.[14] Rupp and Farrell designed the building the following year. The building displays the characteristics of the Sarasota School of Architecture in planning and design, which was a prominent design in Central Florida.[15] The building features a stucco exterior, large picture windows, and large extending concreterafter beams.[16]
The Scott Commercial Building was widely recognized as a ground-breaking design utilizing prefabricated concrete structural members. Acknowledging this important architectural achievement, the building was restored, renamed McCulloch Pavilion, and added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2017.[17][18][19]
In 1965, Rupp moved his architectural practice to Naples, Florida, where he worked on several projects; including three apartment complexes, an animal clinic, a restaurant, and his own residence.
Principal projects in Sarasota
Davis Residence, Sarasota (with Paul Rudolph, 1953)[21]
Tastee Freez, Sarasota (with Paul Rudolph, 1954)[22]
In 1972, he moved to Amherst, Massachusetts, working with Callister, Payne & Bischoff, Architects and Community Planners. He went into private practice in the mid-1970s. Rupp became a lecturer on architecture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, eventually obtaining a full-time teaching appointment. By 1978, he was Director of the Architectural Studies Program and the Interior Design Program.[28]
In 1989, Rupp co-authored and published the architectural textbook, Construction Materials for Interior Design: Principles of Structure and Properties of Materials.[29]
1983 Florida Architect (winter) "Sarasota School of Architects" pp. 12–15 color
2010 Hauser Magazine, "Florida's Gentle Modernism" by Andres Lepik; Undine Prohl.
Bibliography
The following architectural resource books feature the work of architect William Rupp:
Rupp, William, and Friedmann, Arnold (January 1, 1989). Construction Materials for Interior Design. Watson-Guptill. ISBN9780823009305.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Weaving, Andrew (2005). The Home Modernized. London Jacqui Small LLP.
King, Joseph and Domin, Christopher (February 1, 2002). Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses. Princeton Architectural Press. p. 248. ISBN9781568982663.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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