I.M. Pei Was a Quiet Architect Whose ‘sharp-edged Modernist Work' in Dallas and Beyond Made Headlines

I.M. Pei, the architectural mandarin whose sharp-edged modernism can be found in cities the world over, has passed away at the age of 102.Although Pei left significant imprints on New York, Boston, and Paris, there is no city that is quite so defined by his vision as Dallas. His works here are diverse in style, scale, and purpose, but together they evince his sense of cool modern forms. Those projects include Dallas City Hall of 1978, a brooding monument in concrete, and the 1989 Meyerson Symphony Center, an exercise in complex geometry and formal elegance. His firm, Pei, Cobb, Freed Partners, was also responsible for three of the city's more distinguished skyscrapers: One Dallas Centre (1979), Energy Plaza (1983), and the prismatic Fountain Place (1986). One of his only private residences was built in Fort Worth, for the Tandy family. Set in Westover Hills, it is identifiable by a sail-like triangular projection that acts as a light source for the living space within.   Continue reading...