John deKoven Hill

John deKoven Hill (1920–1996) was an American architect, honorary chairman of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation[1] and editorial director of House Beautiful magazine.

John deKoven Hill
Born(1920-05-19)May 19, 1920
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJune 25, 1996(1996-06-25) (aged 76)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Other namesJohny Hill, Johnnie Hill

Biography

Hill decided to become an architect early on in his life, but not until he visited Taliesin did he become passionate about the design style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Hill skipped his high school graduation ceremony to enroll in the Taliesin Fellowship program[2] on June 17, 1938. Because Hill was so young even among the apprentices, Wright often introduced him not by his name but by "This is Johnny. His father left him on my doorstep in a basket."[3] With only a high school education, Hill started very green as an apprentice but went on to become Wright's chief architect and right-hand man. Hill had a keen sense of balance and an eye for design, and took responsibility for the designs and furnishings of all the interiors of the buildings Wright designed.

Hill and Wright designed a number of buildings together where Hill acted as chief architect.[4] From 1953 to 1963 Hill served as the architecture editor for House Beautiful magazine and in 1964 became its editorial director. In this function, Hill helped promote the cause of Modern architecture and particularly Wright's "Organic" approach. He went on to become treasurer of the Taliesin Fellowship and honorary chairman of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

He was the chief designer for the J. Ralph & Patricia B. Corbett House (1959–1960) in Cincinnati, Ohio.[5] In the 1970s, Hill worked alongside Cornelia Brierly to design the interiors and furniture for the Pearl Palace in Mehrshahr, Iran.[6]

Hill died June 25, 1996, in Madison, Wisconsin.[7] He had worked with the Wright Fellowship until his death.

References
  1. Allaback, Sara (2000) Mission 66 Visitor Centers Chapter 5 Endnotes #49 National Park Service, retrieved December 21, 2011
  2. NAAB (2010-03-03). Master of Architecture (undergraduate credit hours plus 79 graduate credit hours) Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine The Taliesin Website, retrieved December 21, 2011
  3. Brierly, Cornelia Tales of Taliesin: a memoir of fellowship. Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Page 114
  4. Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) Triangle Modernist Houses, retrieved December 21, 2011
  5. "Biographical Dictionary of Cincinnati Architects, 1788–1940". Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati. 2010-09-17. Archived from the original on 2010-09-17. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  6. "The Pearl Palace (Morvarid palace)". Contemporary Architecture of Iran. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  7. Chicago Sun-Time (1996-07-01). John deKoven Hill, 76, Wright Foundation exec, retrieved March 5, 2010
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