Allan Temko
Encyclopedia
Allan Bernard Temko was a Pulitzer Prize
-winning architectural critic and writer based in San Francisco.
Born in New York City and raised in Weehawken, New Jersey
, Temko served as a U.S. Navy officer in World War II, graduated from Columbia University
in 1947, and continued his graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley
, and at the Sorbonne
in Paris, France. He taught for several years in France and produced a landmark book about the Cathedral of Notre Dame
, Notre Dame of Paris, in 1955. He wrote architectural criticism for the San Francisco Chronicle
from 1961 to 1993. He also taught city planning and the social sciences at the University of California, Berkeley
and California State University, Hayward (now California State University, East Bay).
Following Finnish-born architect Eero Saarinen
's death in 1961, Temko published Eero Saarinen
(1962), a critical examination of Saarinen's most famous works from the General Motors Technical Center
to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
and its Gateway Arch
(still in the planning stages at the time), as a volume in George Braziller
's Makers of Contemporary Architecture series.
Temko was an activist critic who defended the urban character and texture of San Francisco from, in his words, "a variety of villains: real estate sharks, the construction industry and its unions, venal politicians, bureaucrats, brutal highway engineers, the automobile lobby, and -- in some ways worst of all -- incompetent architects and invertebrate planners who were wrecking the Bay Area before our eyes." One of these villains, an architect named Sandy Walker, famously sued Temko over his 1978 description of Walker's Pier 39
project which began, "Corn. Kitsch. Schlock. Honky-tonk. Dreck. Schmaltz. Merde."
Temko was instrumental in the removal of the Embarcadero Freeway and memorably described the 1971 Armand Vaillancourt
Fountain on the Embarcadero as a thing "deposited by a concrete dog with square intestines."
He described the Centennial Building in Hayward, California in the early 1970s, calling it a "toaster",due to its slightly elongated rectangular shape, which strongly influenced public opinion of the building.
Temko appears in Jack Kerouac
's novel On the Road
as the character "Roland Major". Temko also appeared in Kerouac's Book of Dreams
as Irving Minko and in Visions of Cody
as Allen Minko.
Temko was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
in 1990. He died of apparent congestive heart failure at the Orinda Convalescent Hospital in Orinda, California, in 2006.
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning architectural critic and writer based in San Francisco.
Born in New York City and raised in Weehawken, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Temko served as a U.S. Navy officer in World War II, graduated from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1947, and continued his graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, and at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in Paris, France. He taught for several years in France and produced a landmark book about the Cathedral of Notre Dame
Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
, Notre Dame of Paris, in 1955. He wrote architectural criticism for the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
from 1961 to 1993. He also taught city planning and the social sciences at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and California State University, Hayward (now California State University, East Bay).
Following Finnish-born architect Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
's death in 1961, Temko published Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
(1962), a critical examination of Saarinen's most famous works from the General Motors Technical Center
General Motors Technical Center
The GM Technical Center is a General Motors facility in Warren, Michigan. The campus is home to 16,000 GM engineers, designers, and technicians and has been the center of the company's engineering effort since its inauguration in 1956....
to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is in St. Louis, Missouri, near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was designated as a National Memorial by Executive Order 7523, on December 21, 1935, and is maintained by the National Park Service .The park was established to...
and its Gateway Arch
Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States...
(still in the planning stages at the time), as a volume in George Braziller
George Braziller
George Braziller is an American book publisher and the founder of George Braziller, Inc., a firm known for its literary and artistic books and its publication of foreign authors....
's Makers of Contemporary Architecture series.
Temko was an activist critic who defended the urban character and texture of San Francisco from, in his words, "a variety of villains: real estate sharks, the construction industry and its unions, venal politicians, bureaucrats, brutal highway engineers, the automobile lobby, and -- in some ways worst of all -- incompetent architects and invertebrate planners who were wrecking the Bay Area before our eyes." One of these villains, an architect named Sandy Walker, famously sued Temko over his 1978 description of Walker's Pier 39
Pier 39
Pier 39 is a shopping center and popular tourist attraction built on a pier in San Francisco, California. At Pier 39, there are shops, restaurants, a video arcade, street performances, an interpretive center for the Marine Mammal Center, the Aquarium of the Bay, virtual 3D rides, and views of...
project which began, "Corn. Kitsch. Schlock. Honky-tonk. Dreck. Schmaltz. Merde."
Temko was instrumental in the removal of the Embarcadero Freeway and memorably described the 1971 Armand Vaillancourt
Armand Vaillancourt
Armand Vaillancourt is a Québécois sculptor, painter and performance artist born on September 3, 1929, in the city of Black Lake, Quebec, Canada.- Major sculptures :...
Fountain on the Embarcadero as a thing "deposited by a concrete dog with square intestines."
He described the Centennial Building in Hayward, California in the early 1970s, calling it a "toaster",due to its slightly elongated rectangular shape, which strongly influenced public opinion of the building.
Temko appears in Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
's novel On the Road
On the Road
On the Road is a novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, written in April 1951, and published by Viking Press in 1957. It is a largely autobiographical work that was based on the spontaneous road trips of Kerouac and his friends across mid-century America. It is often considered a defining work of...
as the character "Roland Major". Temko also appeared in Kerouac's Book of Dreams
Book of Dreams (novel)
Book of Dreams is an experimental novel published by Jack Kerouac in 1960, culled from the dream journal he kept from 1952 to 1960. In it Kerouac tries to continue plot-lines with characters from his books as he sees them in his dreams...
as Irving Minko and in Visions of Cody
Visions of Cody
Visions of Cody is an experimental novel by Jack Kerouac. It was written in 1951-1952, and though not published in its entirety until 1973, it had by then achieved an underground reputation...
as Allen Minko.
Temko was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
The Pulitzer Prize for Criticism has been presented since 1970 to a newspaper writer who has demonstrated 'distinguished criticism'. Recipients of the award are chosen by an independent board and officially administered by Columbia University...
in 1990. He died of apparent congestive heart failure at the Orinda Convalescent Hospital in Orinda, California, in 2006.