17 Facts About James Polshek

James Stewart Polshek was an American architect based in New York City.

James Polshek was the founder of Polshek Partnership, the firm at which he was the principal design partner for more than four decades.

James Polshek worked as design counsel to the legacy firm Ennead Architects, as well as being actively engaged as design lead on multiple projects.

James Polshek's father, Max, was the owner of an army-navy store; his mother, Pearl, was a housewife.

James Polshek initially intended to study medicine, enrolling in premed at Case Western Reserve University's Adelbert College in 1947.

James Polshek began taking a variety of courses, including a course on the history of modern architecture.

James Polshek became the dean of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University in 1973, serving in that capacity until 1987.

James Polshek was unusual among top-tier architects for taking the position that architecture is more craft than fine art and that architects have some measure of social responsibility.

In 2003, James Polshek served as an architectural adviser to the selection committee that chose SANAA as architects for the New Museum building.

James Polshek served as the architect commissioner on the NYC Design Commission during the mid-2010s.

James Polshek's book, Build, Memory, was published in April 2014 by Monacelli Press.

James Polshek maintained an apartment in Paris during his later years.

James Polshek died on September 9,2022, at his home in Manhattan.

James Polshek was 92 and suffered from kidney disease before his death.

James Polshek was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and the 2018 recipient of the organization's highest honor, the AIA Gold Medal.

James Polshek earlier received the Gold Medal award from the New York City chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1986.

James Polshek received honorary degrees from Pratt Institute, the New School University Parsons School of Design, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Columbia University.