The Festival of New

Joseph Urban (1872-1933) was one of the most significant modernist architects and designers of the early 20th century. Born in Vienna, Urban began his career as a proponent of the Secession style, an Austrian variant of the Art Nouveau. After a move to the United States in 1911, his focus shifted to theatrical design and included stints working for the Boston Opera Company, the Ziegfeld Follies, and the Metropolitan Opera Company. In 1920, Urban embarked on a new chapter when he joined William Randolph Hearst’s Cosmopolitan Productions. With this entry into the film medium, Urban’s trajectory took on a more commercial and popular culture dimension. The lavish salary he earned from Hearst enabled Urban to open a branch of the Viennese Workshops, known as the Wiener Werkstaette of America, on Fifth Avenue in 1922. Urban’s professional ambitions came full circle when, in 1925, he resumed his architectural practice.

A stream of significant projects ensued in a range of eclectic styles, including: Mar-a-Lago for Marjorie Merriweather Post in Palm Beach (1926); Hearst’s International Magazine Building on West 57th Street (1927); Ziegfeld Theater formerly on West 54th Street (1927); the Gingerbread Castle in Hamburg, NJ (1928); and The New School for Social Research at 66 West 12th Street (1930). The latter is recognized as one of the earliest examples of the International Style in the United States. Unfortunately, many of Urban’s mature architectural projects are no longer extant. Thus, the survival of The New School, even in a modified form, is cause for celebration.

This centennial lecture is held in the auditorium designed by Urban and presented by Parsons alumna Janis Staggs, Director of Curatorial and Manager of Publications at Neue Galerie New York. Staggs draws upon years of professional experience and in-depth research conducted at archives in New York and in Vienna to provide a portrait of Urban’s seminal contributions with a focus on his last major architectural project, The New School for Social Research building.

After the lecture, Janis Staggs will respond to questions from the audience.