Helmut Jahn

For the German footballer, see Helmut Jahn (footballer).

Helmut Jahn
Born	(1940-01-04)January 4, 1940 Zirndorf, Bavaria, Germany
Died	May 8, 2021(2021-05-08) (aged 81) Campton Hills, Illinois, US
Nationality	German
Education	Technical University of Munich Illinois Institute of Technology
Occupation	Architect
Website	www.jahn-us.com

Helmut Jahn (January 4, 1940 – May 8, 2021) was a German-American architect, known for projects such as the Sony Center on Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Germany; the Messeturm in Frankfurt, Germany; the Thompson Center in Chicago; One Liberty Place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Suvarnabhumi Airport, in Bangkok, Thailand, among others.

His recent projects included 50 West Street, a residential tower in New York City in 2016 and the ThyssenKrupp Test Tower in Rottweil, Germany in 2017. He was also behind 1000M in Chicago which began construction in 2019.

Life and career

An illuminated, suspended, oval roof covers the 102 m span of the central Forum of the Sony Center, Berlin.

Jahn was born January 4, 1940, in Zirndorf, near Nuremberg, Germany.^[1] His father, Wilhelm Anton Jahn, was a schoolteacher in special education. His mother, Karolina Wirth, was a housewife.^[2][3] Jahn grew up watching the reconstruction of the city, which had been largely destroyed by Allied bombing campaigns.^[4]

He studied architecture at the Technical University of Munich from 1960 to 1965,^[5] and worked with Peter C. von Seidlein [de] for a year after graduation.^[1] In 1966, he went to Chicago to further study architecture under Myron Goldsmith and Fazlur Khan at the Illinois Institute of Technology on a Rotary Scholarship, earning a Master's degree in 1967.^[3]

Murphy/Jahn

Jahn joined Charles Francis Murphy's architecture firm, C. F. Murphy Associates, in 1967 and was appointed Executive Vice President and Director of Planning and Design of the firm in 1973.^{[citation needed]} He took sole control in 1981, renaming the firm Murphy/Jahn (even though Murphy had retired).^{[citation needed]} Murphy died in 1985.

Death

Jahn was killed on May 8, 2021, while riding his bicycle in Campton Hills, a suburb of Chicago.^[6] The collision happened near his home and horse farm in St. Charles, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.^[7][8][9]

Architectural style and influences

Generally inspired by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, yet opposed to the doctrinal application of modernism by his followers, in 1978, Jahn became the eighth member of the Chicago Seven. His architectural style shifted from the modernism of the Miesian tradition to a postmodernist one with high-tech stylizations.^[10] Jahn established his reputation in 1985 with the State of Illinois Center in Chicago which prompted him to be dubbed "Flash Gordon".^[11] In addition to the main seat in Chicago, the company has offices in Berlin and Shanghai.

On October 26, 2012, Helmut Jahn renamed Murphy/Jahn to simply JAHN.^{[citation needed]}

Completed projects

Auraria Library

James R. Thompson Center

O'Hare International Airport, Chicago – interior view of the connecting tunnel between Concourses B & C of Terminal 1, with Michael Hayden's neon installation Sky's the Limit (1987).

Bank of America Tower (1990)

One America Plaza

1999 K Street, NW in Washington, D.C.

Facade of Neues Kranzler Eck, Berlin

Following is a partial list of completed projects:

• 1974 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri^[12][13][1]
• 1976 Kansas City Convention Center, also known as H. Roe Bartle Exhibition Hall, Kansas City, Missouri^[14]
• 1976 Auraria Learning Resources Center, Auraria Higher Education Center, Denver, Colorado^[15]
• 1976 John Marshall Courts Building, Richmond, Virginia^[14]
• 1977 Michigan City Public Library, Michigan City, Indiana^[16]
• 1977 Saint Mary's College Athletic Facility, Notre Dame, Indiana^[17][18]
• 1978 W.W. Grainger Headquarters, Skokie, Illinois^[14]
• 1978 Rust-Oleum Corporation International Headquarters, Vernon Hills, Illinois^[14]
• 1978 La Lumiere Gymnasium, La Porte, Indiana^[14]
• 1979 Imperial Bank Tower Costa Mesa, California^[19]
• 1980 Horizon Bank (515 Franklin Street Bank) Michigan City, Indiana^{[citation needed]}
• 1980 Xerox Centre, (55 West Monroe St) Chicago, IL^[14][13]
• 1981 United States Post Office, Oak Brook, Illinois^[14]
• 1981 De La Garza Career Center, East Chicago, Indiana^[14]
• 1981 Commonwealth Edison Company District Headquarters, Bolingbrook, Illinois^[14]
• 1982 Argonne Program Support Facility, Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois^[14]
• 1982 Eagle River Vacation House (The Jahn House), Eagle River, Wisconsin^[14]
• 1982 Area 2 Police Headquarters, Chicago^[14]
• 1982 Chicago Board of Trade Addition, Chicago ^[14]
• 1982 One South Wacker, Chicago ^[14][13]
• 1983 Agricultural Engineering Sciences Building Addition University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois^[14]
• 1983 Learning Resources Center, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois^[14]
• 1983 First Source Centre, South Bend, Indiana^[13][20]
• 1984 11 Diagonal Street, Johannesburg, South Africa^[21]
• 1984 Plaza East Office Towers, Milwaukee, WI^[14]
• 1984 Shand Morahan Corporate Headquarters, Evanston, Illinois^[14][22]
• 1984 701 Building (Craig-Hallom Building), Minneapolis, MN^[23]
• 1984 O'Hare 'L' Station, O'Hare International Airport, Chicago^[24]
• 1985 James R. Thompson Center, Chicago^[25][1]
• 1985 362 West Street, Durban, South Africa^[26]
• 1986 Parktown Stands 102, 103, 85, 879, Johannesburg, South Africa^[27]
• 1986 MetroWest Office Building (2 Energy Center), Naperville, Illinois^[28]
• 1986 Oakbrook Terrace Tower, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois^[29]
• 1987 Park Avenue Tower, New York, NY^[26]
• 1987 425 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY^[30]
• 1987 United Airlines Terminal 1 at O'Hare International Airport, Chicago^[13]
• 1987 America Apartments – 300 East 85th Street, New York, NY^[31]
• 1987 One Liberty Place, Philadelphia, PA^[1]
• 1987 Cityspire, New York, NY^[13][1]
• 1987 Citigroup Center, Chicago^[32]
• 1988 Wilshire-Midvale, Los Angeles, CA^[33]
• 1989 Trade Hall 1 (Halle 1), Frankfurt, Germany^[13]
• 1989 Metropolitan Transportation Authority Headquarters, 130 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY^[34]
• 1990 Bank of America Tower, Jacksonville, Florida ^{[citation needed]}
• 1990 Two Liberty Place, Philadelphia^{[citation needed]}
• 1991 One America Plaza, San Diego, CA^{[citation needed]}
• 1991 Messeturm, Frankfurt, Germany^[13]
• 1992 Hyatt Regency, Roissy, Paris, France^[26]
• 1992 120 North LaSalle, Chicago^{[citation needed]}
• 1993 Hitachi Tower, Singapore^[35]
• 1993 Caltex House, Singapore^[36]
• 1994 Hotel Kempinski, Munich, Germany^[13]
• 1994 Kurfürstendamm 70, Berlin, Germany^{[citation needed]}
• 1996 Fortis Bank Tower (Blaak 555), Rotterdam, Netherlands^[37]
• 1996 Principal Financial Group Corporate Four Building, Des Moines, Iowa^{[citation needed]}
• 1997 RCID Administration Building, Buena Vista, Florida^{[citation needed]}
• 1998 Generale Bank Nederland, Rotterdam, Netherlands^{[citation needed]}
• 1999 European Union Charlemagne building, Brussels, Belgium^{[citation needed]}
• 1999 Munich Airport Center, Germany^{[citation needed]}
• 2000 Sony Center Berlin, Germany^[13][1]
• 2000 Cologne Bonn Airport, Cologne, Germany^{[citation needed]}
• 2000 HA·LO Headquarters (presently the headquarters of Shure), Niles, Illinois^{[citation needed]}
• 2000 Imperial Bank Tower Renovation, Costa Mesa, California^[38]
• 2001 Neues Kranzler Eck, Berlin, Germany^[38]
• 2002 Kaufhof Galeria, Chemnitz, Germany^{[citation needed]}
• 2002 Shanghai International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China^{[citation needed]}
• 2002 Bayer AG Konzernzentrale^[39]
• 2003 Deutsche Post Tower, Bonn, Germany^{[citation needed]}
• 2003 IIT Student Housing, Chicago^{[citation needed]}
• 2003 Highlight Munich Business Towers, Munich, Germany^{[citation needed]}
• 2004 Mannheimer Corporate Headquarters, Mannheim, Germany ^[40]
• 2004 Merck Serono Headquarters (Horizon Serono), Geneva, Switzerland^{[citation needed]}
• 2005 Focus Media Center (Deutsche-Med-Platz), Rostock, Germany ^[41]
• 2006 Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand^[42]
• 2006 Seminaris Campus Hotel, Berlin, Germany^{[citation needed]}
• 2007 GranTokyo, Tokyo, Japan
• 2007 Margot and Harold Schiff Residences, Chicago^{[citation needed]}
• 2007 600 North Fairbanks, Chicago^{[citation needed]}
• 2008 Hegau Tower, Singen, Germany^[43]
• 2009 South Campus Chiller Plant, University of Chicago Chicago^[44]
• 2009 1999 K Street, Washington, D.C.^[45]
• 2010 Hafen Tower (Sign Tower), Speditionstrasse 1–3 Düsseldorf, Germany^[46]
• 2010 Veer Towers, Paradise, Nevada USA^[47]
• 2010 Weser Tower, Bremen, Germany^{[citation needed]}
• 2010 Bonn Airport Parking, Cologne, Germany ^{[citation needed]}
• 2011 Joe and Rika Mansueto Library, Chicago^[1]
• 2012 Leatop Plaza, Guangzhou, China^{[citation needed]}
• 2012 Skyline Tower, Munich, Germany^{[citation needed]}
• 2012 Japan Post, Tokyo, Japan^{[citation needed]}
• 2013 Cosmopolitan Twarda 2/4, Warsaw, Poland^[1]
• 2014 Zunda Towers, Riga, Latvia^[48]
• 2016 Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, Qatar^{[citation needed]}
• 2016 Shanghai Convention Center, Shanghai, China ^{[citation needed]}
• 2016 50 West Street, New York, NY^[49][50]
• 2017 ThyssenKrupp Test Tower, Rottweil, Germany^[51]
• 2017 1900 Reston Station, Reston, Virginia^[52]
• 2024 1000M, Chicago, IL^[53]

In his native town of Nuremberg, however, a project by Jahn was rejected by a citizens' referendum in 1996.^[54]

Select awards

• 1991 – "Ten Most Influential Living American Architects" from the American Institute of Architects.^[55]
• 1993 – "Outstanding Achievement/Architect Award" from the American Academy of Art, Chicago.^[56]
• 1994 – Officer's cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany^[57]
• 2002 – Institute Honour Award of the American Institute of Architects for the Sony Center.^[56]
• 2005 – Murphy/Jahn, Inc. recipient of the AIA Architecture Firm Award.^[56]
• 2005 – Pratt Institute Legends Award^[58]
• 2012 – AIA Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award^[59]
• 2018 – ENR Safety Award of Merit: 1900 Metro Reston Plaza^[60]

Personal life

Jahn was interested in yachting, and in the late 1990s owned at least three yachts named Flash Gordon (one of his nicknames).^[61] In 1995, Jahn's Flash Gordon 2 won the annual Chicago to Mackinac Race, the oldest freshwater yacht race in the world.^[62] In 1998, Jahn invited his fellow Vietnam War veteran, George Henry, to race with him in the Waterbury Channel Open. In 1997, Flash Gordon 3 won the Admiral's Cup.^[61][63] It was the Farr 40 design yacht called Flash Gordon 6 that he had the most success winning the 2012 Farr 40 World Championship^[64] and they captured three straight North American Championship between 2015–2017.^[65]

He married Deborah Ann Lampe, an interior designer, in December 1970. Their son Evan was born in 1978.^[2]

Images

• 
  Messeturm (Fair Tower), Frankfurt
• 
  The Post Tower (Postal Tower), Bonn
• 
  Exhibition "Process/Progress" Nuremberg, Germany 2012-2013

References

1. Sandomir, Richard (May 10, 2021). "Helmut Jahn, 'Convention-Busting' Architect, Dies at 81". The New York Times.
2. Zorn, Eric (September 4, 1985). "Jahn on the fast track: his style is his substance". Chicago Tribune.
3. "Helmut Jahn". Munzinger.
4. Neumann, Dietrich. "Helmut Jahn." In Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present, vol. 5, edited by R. Daniel Wadhwani. German Historical Institute. Last modified February 9, 2016.
5. "Helmut Jahn obituary". the Guardian. May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
6. Sandomir, Richard (May 10, 2021). "Helmut Jahn, 'Convention-Busting' Architect, Dies at 81". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
7. Rosenberg-Douglas, Katherine (May 9, 2021). "Architect Helmut Jahn killed in bike accident in Chicago suburb". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
8. Kesslen, Ben (May 9, 2021). "Famed German architect Helmut Jahn dies in Illinois bicycle accident at 81". NBC News. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
9. "Famed German-US architect Helmut Jahn dies in bike accident". France24. May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
10. "Helmut Jahn". 20th Century Architecture.
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12. "Kemper Arena". greatbuildings.com. Artifice Inc. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
13. Sennett, R. Stephen, ed. (2004). Encyclopedia of 20th Century Architecture. Fitzroy Dearborn. p. 709. ISBN 978-1-57958-434-4. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
14. Miller, Nory. Helmut Jahn. New York: NY Rizzoli International Publications Inc. 1986. Print
15. "Auraria Library". University of Colorado Denver. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
16. Ross, Doug (March 8, 2021). "Michigan City library gets new front entrance". Northwest Indiana Times. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
17. "2021 Project Awards – Angela Athletic & Wellness Complex". The American Institute of Architects. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
18. Sullivan, Mary Ann. "Saint Mary's College Athletic Facility". Retrieved May 9, 2021.
19. "Park Tower". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
20. Sullivan, Mary Ann. "First Source Center Helmut Jahn 1982". Retrieved May 9, 2021.
21. "11 Diagonal Street in Johannesburg #428437670". Phorio. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
22. Smith, Bill (March 2007). "Famous architect goes affordable". Evanston Now. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
23. "701 Building". CTBUH.
24. Jones, Chris (May 9, 2021). "Helmut Jahn, Chicago's 'star-chitect' to the world, was the visionary behind United's O'Hare terminal and Thompson Center". chicagotribune.com.
25. Belogolovsky, Vladimir (December 29, 2020). "The Thompson Center: A Building Facing Demolition Threat in Chicago". ArchDaily. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
26. "Helmut Jahn, Drawings: Works In Exhibition". Renaissance Society.
27. (Firm), Murphy/Jahn; Jahn, Helmut (1995). Murphy/Jahn: Selected and Current Works. Images Publishing. p. 231. ISBN 978-1-875498-19-2.
28. Guerrero, Rafael (May 11, 2021). "Famed architect Helmut Jahn left his mark on Naperville with the 'N-shaped' MetroWest building off Interstate 88". Chicago Tribune.
29. "Oakbrook Terrace Tower". CTBUH.
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31. "POSTINGS: CELEBRATING AMERICANA; Jahn's Yorkville Salute". The New York Times. October 12, 1986. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
32. "Accenture Tower". CTBUH.
33. (Firm), Murphy/Jahn; Jahn, Helmut (1995). Murphy/Jahn: Selected and Current Works. Images Publishing. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-875498-19-2.
34. Morrone, Francis (November 29, 2023). An Architectural Guidebook to Brooklyn. Gibbs Smith. pp. 59–61. ISBN 978-1-4236-1911-6.
35. "Singapore 1:1- CITY". Archived from the original on February 19, 2008.
36. "Singapore 1:1- CITY". Archived from the original on February 19, 2008.
37. "Architecture in Rotterdam | Fortisbank / Blaak 555". Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
38. Blaser, Werner. Helmut Jahn Architecture Engineering. Basel, Berlin, Boston: Birkhauser Publishers for Architecture. 2002. Print
39. "Leverkusen, Stadtführer, Jahn-Bau". www.leverkusen.com.
40. "ECE – Business areas – Office". Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
41. "Focus Media Center | mapolis". mapolis.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013.
42. "Passenger Terminal Complex Suvarnabhumi Airport / Jahn". ArchDaily. August 26, 2015.
43. "Hegau Tower / Murphy Jahn". ArchDaily. November 10, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
44. "University of Chicago – South Campus Chiller Plant / Murphy Jahn". ArchDaily. November 15, 2010.
45. "1999 K Street / Murphy Jahn". ArchDaily. November 13, 2010.
46. "Hafen / Murphy/Jahn". ArchDaily. May 10, 2012.
47. "Veer Towers / Murphy/Jahn". ArchDaily. November 18, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
48. "HELMUT JAHN, 1940 – BUILDINGS, LATVIA". 20th Century Architecture. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
49. Rosenberg, Zoe (April 4, 2016). "New Look at the Amenities of Helmut Jahn's Financial District Tower". Curbed. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
50. Bindelglass, Evan (May 17, 2016). "Exclusive: Watch Time-Lapse of 50 West Street's Construction, Financial District". New York Yimby. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
51. "ThyssenKrupp Test Tower". EU Mies Award. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
52. Emke, Dave (August 17, 2017). "New Lighting on Helmut Jahn Building at Reston Station Part of Architect's Signature Design". Reston Now. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
53. Dreith, Ben. "Jahn completes 1000M skyscraper in Chicago". Dezeen. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
54. Heinold, Thomas (May 11, 2021). "So verbittert war Helmut Jahn über das Augustinerhof-Scheitern" [So embittered was Helmut Jahn when the Augustiner Yard failed]. nordbayern.de (in German). Nürnberger Nachrichten. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
55. "Helmut Jahn, One of American Architecture's Most Celebrated Figures, Dies Age 81". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
56. "Helmut Jahn modern design – Fire Collection". modern architecture. January 31, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
57. "Helmut Jahn feiert sechzigsten Geburtstag / "Mehr Mut zur Zukunft" – Architektur und Architekten – News / Meldungen / Nachrichten". BauNetz.de (in German). January 4, 2000. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
58. "Giving – Special Events – Legends". Pratt Institute. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
59. "AIA Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award Winners – Awards". American Institute of Architects. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
60. "Best Office/Retail Mixed-Use Developments and Excellence in Safety Award of Merit: 1900 Reston Metro Plaza". ENR. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
61. Kamin, Blair (January 25, 1998). "Shunned here, Helmut Jahn is out to prove he's more than flashy". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
62. "Race to Mackinac Division Trophy" (PDF). Chicago Yacht Club. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
63. "Admiral's Cup History". Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
64. Rolex Media Centre (September 21, 2012). "Rolex Farr 40 World Championships at Chicago Yacht Club – Overall".
65. "Flash Gordon 6 captures third straight North American Championship". Sail-World. October 7, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2021.

External links

• Official website
• Helmut Jahn at archINFORM
• Architect Helmut Jahn renames firm, promotes successor
• Highlight towers
• The New Modernism of Helmut Jahn Archived January 4, 2006, at the Wayback Machine