Victor Christ-Janer
Encyclopedia
Victor F. Christ-Janer was an American modernist architect.
Victor Christ-Janer was born in Elysian, Minnesota
on March 27, 1915 and raised in nearby Waterville. Mr. Christ-Janer trained in liberal arts, sculpting, painting, and architecture at St. Olaf College from the years 1933-1935. From 1937-1939, he served as director of a summer art school at Stephens College. From 1941-1942 he was the chief graphic designer for Nelson Rockefeller
, the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
. He continued his education at Yale University
, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with honors in 1940. His studies were interrupted when he served in World War II
. After securing a conscientious objector status, he volunteered for service in a non-fighting position, where he then served in the European theatre. (He had access to photos taken at a German concentration camp right after it was entered by the Allies
. He kept the photos on his desk in his office in New Canaan referring to them often as examples of the horror of the Holocaust and something he would never forget. In fact, when an accountant, who worked for him (who was Jewish) bought a Mercedes, Victor chided him so much that he sold it and bought a Jaguar.). After the war, he was employed as an associate of Nemeny and Geller from 1946-1948. Mr. Christ-Janer returned to Yale University
where he received his Bachelor of Architecture in 1947. He was employed as a designer for IBEC from 1948-1949.
After completing his college education, Mr. Christ-Janer designed and built his home in New Canaan, Connecticut
in 1949. In 1955, he founded the Victor Christ-Janer and Associates architectural firm on Elm Street in New Canaan
. But his occupation was not restricted to design alone. He also taught the course: The Master’s Degree in General Design at Columbia University
, beginning in 1963 to 1977 and lectured at Danforth University on the topic of “Irrationality and a Contemporary Consciousness” from 1963 to 1970. Later in his career Mr. Christ-Janer spent considerable time developing building materials resistant to natural calamities such as earthquakes, cyclones and hurricanes.
Victor Christ-Janer was born in Elysian, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
on March 27, 1915 and raised in nearby Waterville. Mr. Christ-Janer trained in liberal arts, sculpting, painting, and architecture at St. Olaf College from the years 1933-1935. From 1937-1939, he served as director of a summer art school at Stephens College. From 1941-1942 he was the chief graphic designer for Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
, the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs was a United States agency promoting inter-American cooperation during the 1940s, especially in commercial and economic areas...
. He continued his education at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with honors in 1940. His studies were interrupted when he served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After securing a conscientious objector status, he volunteered for service in a non-fighting position, where he then served in the European theatre. (He had access to photos taken at a German concentration camp right after it was entered by the Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
. He kept the photos on his desk in his office in New Canaan referring to them often as examples of the horror of the Holocaust and something he would never forget. In fact, when an accountant, who worked for him (who was Jewish) bought a Mercedes, Victor chided him so much that he sold it and bought a Jaguar.). After the war, he was employed as an associate of Nemeny and Geller from 1946-1948. Mr. Christ-Janer returned to Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he received his Bachelor of Architecture in 1947. He was employed as a designer for IBEC from 1948-1949.
After completing his college education, Mr. Christ-Janer designed and built his home in New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
in 1949. In 1955, he founded the Victor Christ-Janer and Associates architectural firm on Elm Street in New Canaan
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
. But his occupation was not restricted to design alone. He also taught the course: The Master’s Degree in General Design at 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...
, beginning in 1963 to 1977 and lectured at Danforth University on the topic of “Irrationality and a Contemporary Consciousness” from 1963 to 1970. Later in his career Mr. Christ-Janer spent considerable time developing building materials resistant to natural calamities such as earthquakes, cyclones and hurricanes.
Notable works
- Lake Erie College in Painesville, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
- Lewisboro Village, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
- Meinrad Abbey for the United Christ Church in Western ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
- Saint Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, New JerseyNew JerseyNew 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...
- Unitarian Universalist Church in Rochester, MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
- Charterhouse of the Transfiguration http://transfiguration.chartreux.org/ in Arlington, VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
- Walter Stewarts Market New Canaan CT, (1957) ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...