Lionel H. Pries: Architect, Artist, Educator: From Arts and Crafts to Modern Architecture

Ochsner, an associate dean at the College of Architecture, Science and Urban Planning at Washington University (and co-author of Distant Corner: Seattle Architects and the Legacy of H.H. Richardson), has written a lucid, scholarly and lovingly illustrated study of revered architect and former Washington University professor Lionel H. Pries. Detailing Pries's vital role in determining the architectural shape of Seattle, along with his early life and his work with students, Ochsner proves adept at capturing the import of the artist and the spirit of the man; a demanding teacher, Pries deflected student complaints and frivolous observations with ""merciless"" impersonations: ""One of his best acts was quoting someone gushing, 'Oh, mr. Pries, don't you think that architecture is frozen music?!' He always followed this with a few growled profane exclamations."" Ochsner traces Pries from his 1897 birth in San Francisco through his California- and Pennsylvania-based education and the entirety of his West Coast career, including his sojourns to Mexico and his work with watercolor and oil painting. Photos, floorplans, sketches and other artwork grace nearly every page, making this overdue tribute as much a pleasure to browse as it is to read. 325 Illustrations, 175 in color.