Vincent Scully
Encyclopedia
Vincent Joseph Scully, Jr. (born August 21, 1920) is Sterling Professor
Emeritus of the History of Art in Architecture
at Yale University
, and the author of several books on the subject. Architect
Philip Johnson
once described Scully as "the most influential architectural teacher ever." His lectures at Yale were known to attract casual visitors and packed houses, and regularly received standing ovations.
, Scully attended Hillhouse High School
. At the age of 16, he entered Yale University. He earned his BA degree from Yale in 1940, his M.A. in 1947, and his Ph.D in 1949. He has taught classes at Yale since 1947, often to packed lecture rooms. He is also a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Miami
. Scully officially retired from Yale in 1991, but continued giving courses there and at the University of Miami. He announced in 2009, however, at the age of 89, that he was no longer well enough to continue teaching.
Scully's early advocacy was critical to the emergence of both Louis I. Kahn and Robert Venturi
as important 20th Century architects. Scully was a fierce critic of the 1963 destruction of New York
's original Pennsylvania Station
, memorably writing, "One entered the city like a god. One scuttles in now like a rat."
for their book, The Architectural Heritage of Newport.
In 1995, the National Endowment for the Humanities
chose Scully to deliver the Jefferson Lecture
, the U.S. federal government's highest humanities
honor. His lecture was on the topic of "The Architecture of Community," a concept that became central to his architectural philosophy.
In 1999, the Vincent Scully Prize
was established by the National Building Museum
to honor individuals who have exhibited exemplary practice, scholarship or criticism in architecture, historic preservation and urban design. Scully himself was the first honoree.
In 2003 the Urban Land Institute
awarded Scully its J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionary Urban Development.
In 2004, President George W. Bush
presented Scully with the National Medal of Arts
, the United States' highest honor for artists and arts patrons. The medal citation read: "For his remarkable contributions to the history of design and modern architecture, including his influential teaching as an architectural historian."
Sterling Professor
A Sterling Professorship is the highest academic rank at Yale University, awarded to a tenured faculty member considered one of the best in his or her field...
Emeritus of the History of Art in Architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
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...
, and the author of several books on the subject. Architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and later , as a trustee, he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the first Pritzker Architecture...
once described Scully as "the most influential architectural teacher ever." His lectures at Yale were known to attract casual visitors and packed houses, and regularly received standing ovations.
Biography
Born and raised in New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, Scully attended Hillhouse High School
Hillhouse High School
James Hillhouse Comprehensive High School is the oldest public high school in New Haven, Connecticut. It is a part of New Haven Public Schools.- History :Established in 1859 as New Haven High School,...
. At the age of 16, he entered Yale University. He earned his BA degree from Yale in 1940, his M.A. in 1947, and his Ph.D in 1949. He has taught classes at Yale since 1947, often to packed lecture rooms. He is also a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
. Scully officially retired from Yale in 1991, but continued giving courses there and at the University of Miami. He announced in 2009, however, at the age of 89, that he was no longer well enough to continue teaching.
Scully's early advocacy was critical to the emergence of both Louis I. Kahn and Robert Venturi
Robert Venturi
Robert Charles Venturi, Jr. is an American architect, founding principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, and one of the major figures in the architecture of the twentieth century...
as important 20th Century architects. Scully was a fierce critic of the 1963 destruction of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's original Pennsylvania Station
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...
, memorably writing, "One entered the city like a god. One scuttles in now like a rat."
Awards and honors
In 1952, Scully and his co-author Antoinette Downing won the Alice Davis Hitchcock AwardAlice Davis Hitchcock Award
The Alice Davis Hitchcock Award, established in 1949, by the Society of Architectural Historians, annually recognizes "the most distinguished work of scholarship in the history of architecture published by a North American scholar." The oldest of the six different publication awards given...
for their book, The Architectural Heritage of Newport.
In 1995, the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
chose Scully to deliver the Jefferson Lecture
Jefferson Lecture
The Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities is an honorary lecture series established in 1972 by the National Endowment for the Humanities . According to the NEH, the Lecture is "the highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities."-History of...
, the U.S. federal government's highest humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
honor. His lecture was on the topic of "The Architecture of Community," a concept that became central to his architectural philosophy.
In 1999, the Vincent Scully Prize
Vincent Scully Prize
The Vincent Scully Prize was established in 1999 to recognize exemplary practice, scholarship or criticism in architecture, historic preservation and urban design...
was established by the National Building Museum
National Building Museum
The National Builders Museum, in Washington, D.C., United States, is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning"...
to honor individuals who have exhibited exemplary practice, scholarship or criticism in architecture, historic preservation and urban design. Scully himself was the first honoree.
In 2003 the Urban Land Institute
Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute, or ULI, is a non-profit research and education organization with offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and London...
awarded Scully its J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionary Urban Development.
In 2004, President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
presented Scully with the National Medal of Arts
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. It is the highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people. Honorees are selected by the National Endowment for the...
, the United States' highest honor for artists and arts patrons. The medal citation read: "For his remarkable contributions to the history of design and modern architecture, including his influential teaching as an architectural historian."
Major publications
- Architecture: The Natural and the Manmade
- The Villas of Palladio
- Frank Lloyd Wright 1960
- Louis I. Kahn 1961
- Modern Architecture - The Architecture of Democracy 1961, 1974
- "The Shingle Style: Architectural Theory and Design from Richardson to the Origins of Wright" 1955, Library of Congress catalog card number 55-5988
- American Architecture and Urbanism 1969
- The Shingle Style Today 1974
- The Earth, the Temple, and the Gods: Greek Sacred Architecture 1979
- Pueblo: Mountain, Village, Dance 1989* Modern Architecture and Other Essays 2003