John Ogden MerrillFAIA (10 August 1896 – 13 June 1975) was an American architect and structural engineer. He was chiefly responsible for the design[1] and construction of the
United States Air Force Academy campus[2] and for the development of
Oak Ridge, Tennessee where the atomic bomb was developed. He was a partner of the international architectural firm of
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.[3]
The Chicago architectural firm of Granger and Bollenbacher gave Merrill his first opportunity to practice architecture,[1] and by 1939, Merrill had become the chief architect for the Midwest States for the Federal Housing Administration.[1]
Merril joined
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) in 1939. He is credited with establishing the multi-disciplinary nature of the firm,[6] and the innovative character of SOM’s organization and culture was influenced at an early stage by Merrill and other architectural engineers who later became partners in the practice.[7] SOM defined a new architectural approach of teamwork and total or comprehensive design.[8]
The firm undertook the coordination of every aspect of a specific project – design, engineering, landscaping, urban planning and interiors.[9] Major military projects with which Merrill was associated include:
Okinawa military facilities – Merrill served in the
US Army Corps of Engineers between 1942 and 1946. He directed the development of the permanent US military facilities on Okinawa,[1] including
Kadena Air Base.
United States Air Force Academy – Merrill moved between
Chicago and the
Colorado Springs field office to oversee the construction of the new
Air Force campus[11] Merrill was the working administrative partner on the job.[12] He was also a project spokesman for the project.[13] At one point, Merrill announced that planning proposals for the new campus had abandoned what was perceived as a "radical" chapel design;[14] however, the accordion-like structure is today acknowledged as an
iconic symbol.
Merrill's death in Colorado Springs, Colorado was reported in the New York Times on June 13, 1975.[1]
Community leadership
Merrill was a fellow of the
American Institute of Architects (AIA);[1] In 1937, he was president of the Chicago Chapter of the AIA.[15] In 1950, Merrill was appointed as a member of the Board of Consultants to the New York State Building Code Commission;[16] and he directed revision of the Chicago Building Code in 1947–1949.[5]
Among Merrill's interests outside his profession was his support for
Friends of the Earth. In 1969, he lent his name to a campaign to encourage men and women to pledge that they
would not buyfur coats or any other articles made from skins of wild animals.[17]
1921: Design and Comparative Costs of Various Concrete Floor Systems (with R.A. Eckles). Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architectural Engineering.
OCLC 37815235[20]
1962: Archiektur von Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, 1950–1962 (with Louis Skidmore, Ernst Danz, Ernst van Haagen and Nathaniel Owings).Stuttgart: Hatje.
OCLC 164879857[21]
^MOMA, excerpt: "In addition to Merrill, who established the multi-disciplinary nature of the firm ...."
^MOMA, excerpt: "The character of SOM’s work was much influenced by the engineers who became partners in the practice. In addition to Merrill ..., they included Myron Goldsmith and Fazlur Khan (1929–82), both of whom joined the firm in 1955."
^MOMA, excerpt: "SOM defined a new architectural approach of team work and total or comprehensive design ...."
^MOMA, excerpt: "... since the firm undertook everything: design, engineering, landscaping, urban planning and interiors."
^"Radical Design Dropped For Air Academy Chapel,"New York Times. July 4, 1955; excerpt, "The Chicago architect said that to remain with the original cadet chapel would have 'distracted' public thinking on the entire design. He expressed the belief that the over-all academy design was 'good – considering, as it must be considered, the terrain of the site."
Wilkes, Joseph A. and Robert T. Packard. (1989). Encyclopedia of Architecture: Design, Engineering & Construction. New York: John Wiley.
ISBN9780471633518;
OCLC 300305038