Bruce Goff

Bruce Goff

American, 1904–1982
Birth placeAlton, Kansas, United States
Death placeTyler, Texas, United States
Biography

Bruce Goff was born in Alton, Kansas in 1904. Apprenticed at the age of twelve to Rush, Endacott and Rush of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Goff became a partner with the firm in 1930. Self-educated and exceptionally creative, his designs often depended on creative free-association and borrowed materials.

Without academic credentials Goff became a professor of architecture at the University of Oklahoma. In his capacity as teacher, Goff emphasized a design curriculum based on creativity. Within his private practice, Goff introduced a form of organic architecture that was sensitive to both client needs and site constraints.

With very strong convictions about the importance of individuality, Goff created isolated one-family houses in tree enshrouded pockets of the Great Plains. Although Goff's buildings relied on a combination of structural clarity and spatial complexity, they also used a form of decorative detailing that contrasted with the typical simplicity of twentieth century buildings.

Goff died in Tyler, Texas in 1982.
http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Bruce_Goff.html
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