Walter Netsch Bibliography

Primary Sources

1940s

1943

Books

Netsch, Walter. Characteristics of the House as Determined by Space-Use, and its Application to Storage. Thesis, B. Arch. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 1943. 37 p.

Fifth-year undergraduate thesis that examines growth and change in residences in relation to family size and storage needs. Netsch's theory was that as families grew, different types of storage units evolved that changed enclosed and open spaces, thus reshaping the volume of the typical domestic family home. Copy at Institute Archives, MIT Libraries.

1950s

1954

Articles

Netsch, Walter. “Programming the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School of Engineering, Monterey.” Architectural Record 115, no. 6 (June 1954): 150-7. 11 il. 7 plans. 1 map. 2 charts.

Netsch discusses the development of the design program for the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School of Engineering in Monterey, California, for which he was Associate Partner in Charge of Design, representing SOM. The design program was created by considering faculty needs and the course catalogue which were used to determine the amount of time spent in different types of facilities and the special technical requirements of each department. Based upon their analysis of this information, the design team devised a schematic plan involving a multi-story laboratory sciences building, two-story buildings for electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and aeronautical engineering, a building for classrooms and offices, and an auditorium. Illustrations show schematics, design drawings of buildings, and simple floor plans.

1957

Articles

Netsch, Walter. “Die Hochschulanlage der Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado: Die Entwicklung eines Gesamtplans.” Bauen + Wohnen 11 no. 4 (April 1957): 124-28. 3 il. 9 plans. 3 maps.

Overview of the U.S.A.F.A. design that details programming of the large project, site topography, preparation, and development of the master plan. Illustrations, maps, and photographs show the Academy's location near Colorado Springs, models and elevations of buildings, and the chapel surrounded by the Court of Honor and other buildings. Text by Netsch covers approximately two pages.

1959

Unpublished Material

Netsch, Walter. "What Architecture Is and Is Not." Typescript, 8 p.

Walter Netsch delivered this text as a convocation address on Saturday, October 17, 1959, at Grinnell College (Grinnell, Iowa). He emphasizes human components of architecture:

I think architecture in all civilizations has been the environmental structure arising out of human need, and utilizing the materials and techniques of the particular era. Today, the multiplicity of human needs, materials, and techniques provides an infinite variety of spatial opportunities. The search for unity in this variety, the search for the nuances of need, and the search for visual order are the primary elements of today’s total modern architecture.

In the address, Netsch also discusses individual buildings, such as the Woolworth Building, Reliance Building, Guarantee Building, Seagram Building, Johnson Wax Building, Robie House, Unité d’Habitation, Ronchamp Chapel, and Grinnell College’s Burling Library, which he designed.

1960s

1960

Netsch, Walter. "On Political-Economic Horizons." American Institute of Architects Journal 66 (June 1960): 82-84.

Printed text of remarks made at the conclusion of a presentation by Dr. C. Northcote Parkinson (1909-93), the English historian and political scientist famous for satires of bureaucratic institutions, notably Parkinson's Law (1957). Netsch relates Parkinson's remarks to urban life and design by examining societal trends such as greater mobility, longer life spans, more free time and recreation, and accelerated concepts of time, space, and knowledge. He urges architects in the audience to be open and to explore opportunities to address changing patterns in basic human needs. Coments:
Architecture, in all civilizations, has been the environmental structure arising out of human need and utilizing the materials and techniques of the particular era. Today the multiplicity of human needs, materials and techniques provides an infinite variety of spatial opportunities. The search for unity in this variety, the search for the nuances of need, and the search for visual order comprise the primary elements of a total architecture. As architects we should: 1) Intensify our critical values for a personal philosophy. 2). Recognize through personal research the opportunities available through science and technology to give new solutions to human shelter. 3) Recognize that basic research in our field is a requirement now if we are to maintain a mature environment for future civilization. (p. 83-84)
Caricature of Netsch standing beside two seated speakers (likely Parkinson and Robert E. Alexander) appears on page 83.

1964

Unpublished Material

Netsch, Walter. “Background Paper: Architectural Concept of Northwestern University’s New ‘Laboratory’ Library.” May 1964. Northwestern University Archives.

In 1962, Mr. Netsch was selected to design a new library for Northwestern. His design, created in consultation with members of the faculty and staff, had seven major objectives:

In the report, Netsch summarized his design as follows: "The new library is therefore conceived as three connecting research pavilions above the unusually large ground floor reference and staff areas. The pavilions permit access from all directions from the campus and provide an intimate, private, single reader-book relation and an architectural scale relating to the existing campus structure."

Articles

“Concepts Behind New Library’s Design Discussed by Architect.” The Daily Northwestern 84, no. 111 (June 1, 1964): 4.

1966

Articles

Netsch, Walter. "University of Illinois at Chicago Circle-Revisited" in Architecture and the College Proceedings April 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 1966. Department of Architecture, University of Illinois-Urbana (1966): 84-93.

Printed text of Netsch's presentation about designing the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago in the early 1960s. Discusses the history of its conception, Phase I criteria and designs, and the 27 early schemes that the design team created. Details problems of designing an undergraduate campus for 20,000 students on an urban site confined to 106 acres adjacent to the slums. Explains elements of the project's final model, including overall layout, walkways, buildings, lecture halls, classrooms, laboratories, and offices. Refers to slides, diagrams, charts, and documents shown during the presentation. Moves to Phase II of the design process, which was underway in 1966, and envisions plans for further expansion. Introduces his concept of Field Theory and shows how it begins with central, core designs that rotate out into surrounding areas, including into the greater urban environment.

Netsch, Walter. “'The Philosophy' in Comprehensive Building Systems: Threat or Promise?” Building Research 3, no. 5 (September/October 1966): 8-11.

Netsch’s essay, a philosophical discourse on structuralism and systems theory in contemporary architecture, evolves from outlining building systems to introducing his own systematic theory called the School Construction System Development program, a general system of relations that can be applied to building projects. Netsch closes with a utopian consideration of the future of urban systems. The essay is the introduction to a ten-part exploration of the individual architect's role in comprehensive building systems by ten different authors (mostly architects) that comprises the entire issue.

1967

Articles

Netsch, Walter. "Impact '67, University of Illinois Architecture." Chicago Tribune (February 26, 1967): R40.

Netsch comments on design programming of UIC's Circle Campus. Also touches on building techniques and materials, air-conditioning, window glass, walkways, and landscaping. Concludes, "Chicago Circle is a forerunner of many other campuses throughout the world. It is, therefore, an early full-scale urban model that can aid in future models. ...But the campus is more than a model for an academic institution: it is a microcosm of issues and answers for a new urban environment." Includes one photo of an upper level walkway to the library.

1970s

1974

Articles

Netsch, Walter. “EE-RLE Fairchild Building at MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts.” Design Quarterly no. 90-91 (1974): 60-61. 2 il. 1 plan.

Netsch discusses his Electrical Engineering and Research Laboratory in Electronics building at MIT. His design differentiates between highly specialized technical space and more public areas like staircases, hallways and classrooms. The facility allows the electrical engineering program to be housed in a single building, and it allows a reorientation of undergraduate teaching toward a more personalized approach. Concludes, "Yet in many ways such a world as MIT represents the continuum of change, the domination of content over form. The conflict between aesthetics and utility, and the awareness of institutional and technological change controls the concept of the environment as a working and educational tool." (p. 61)

1976

Unpublished Material

Parker, Alfred Browning, Walter A. Netsch, and Gordon Bunshaft. "Proposal to Office of County Manager, Metropolitan Dade County for the Urban Library-Museum Complex, Metropolitan Dade County, Dade, Florida." Chicago: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, 1976. Unpaged.

1978 

Articles

Netsch, Walter. “Postmodernism in Context” in “Other Views: Modern Opinions.” CRIT no. 4 (Fall 1978): 17.

This essay is part of a themed issue on “The Search for a Postmodern Architecture.” Netsch discusses the revolutionary underpinnings of some postmodernist architectural theories, suggesting that in practice, postmodernist works “flaw theory.” He maintains that the philosophical motives behind the movement provide little guidance in practice, and that architects should pursue their own individual ideas rather than those of a movement. Concludes, "I prefer a more personal way, or as Lou Kahn would say, 'the existence-will.' The reality of commitment for the architect or the artist must always be the lonely individual pursuit of idea; for each of us it should be different-both the pursuit and the idea." Other architects who address similar topics include Gordon Bunshaft, Serge Chermaneff, Bertrand Goldberg, I.M. Pei, and Paul Rudolph.

1979

Books

Netsch, Walter. "Creativity: A Personal View" in Perspectives on Creativity and the Unconscious, ed. Donald W. Fritz (Oxford, Ohio: Old Northwest Publication, 1979): 9-37.

Text of an address delivered at the Jungian Conference, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, June 2-4, 1979. Concentrates on development of Field Theory aesthetics, beginning with its early manifestations in the U.S. Air Force Academy, and continuing to UIC's Circle Campus. Defines architecture as a "semi-solitary art" and explains that a new synthesis comes alone. Describes working on Field Theory designs at SOM and credits several architects on his design team with helping to discover and refine Field Theory. Cites the importance of problem-solving, conflicts, and opportunities in advancing and nurturing creativity. Other speakers included Silvano Arieti (psychoanalyst), Walter Darby Bannard (artist and critic), Richard Howard (lexicographer), and June Singer (Jungian analyst).

1980s

1980

Articles

Netsch, Walter. "Case Study: The University of Blida in Algeria" in Places of Public Gathering in Islam Proceedings of Seminar Five in the series Architectural Transformations in the Islamic World. Held in Amman, Jordan, May 4-7, 1980 (1980): 29-37. 9 il. 5 plans.

Printed text of Netsch's address at the seminar, which was held in conjunction with the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Netsch summarizes the basic nature of shelter and its relationship to technology and available building materials. Mentions SOM's projects in Algeria and in other Muslim countries and emphasizes the firm's sensitivity to cultural interpretations. Defines Field Theory as, "A contemporary search for proportional patterns, scales and forms that can be logically incorporated into shelter. These forms are abstract and highly personal, but they are still responses to the culture and society in which they exist." (p. 30) Concentrates on developing designs for the University of Blida complex and cultural differences in designing for universities in the United States and Europe. Three major factors informed Blida's design: 1) reflecting the goals and aspirations of Algeria, 2) incorporation of Muslim's rich heritage and history, and 3) modern yet affordable facilities, in recognition of the nation's goals for improvements to housing, industry, health care, and education. SOM's commission included creating not only a comprehensive master plan and design for individual facilities, but also the academic program, curriculum design, and selection of major equipment. Explains SOM's solutions to various design challenges and opportunities to apply Field Theory geometry to Arab culture. Includes photos of the model site plan, drawings and diagrams of various buildings, and floor plans for the Teaching Hospital, a decidedly Field Theory conception. Netsch's address was the first of five presentations in the seminar's "Educational Buildings" session.

1984

Articles

"Remembering Nat Owings." Inland Architect 28, no. 5 (September/October 1984): 9. 1 il.

Tribute by Walter Netsch, published shortly after Nathaniel A. Owing's death on June 13, 1984. A founding partner of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, Netsch's mentor and advocate. Netsch's tribute reads:

It is difficult for me to write about Nat, for despite his foibles, he gave me my first opportunity and ended up my friend.

I have known Nat since 1947, so there are many Nats in my memory. During these recent years, I moved from protege to friend, and Nat from boss to confrere, from partner to national conscience for architects.

Nat was always mercurial, a tough fighter with major victories in Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Big Sur-victories always won others, for he was a leader, tenacious and devoted to a cause as he saw it.

In the early days he espoused compromise, a factor that would send me back to the boards to do a whole new solution. He developed a sense of loyalty for his stands on planning and design, perhaps because he gave all young designers a chance. He had no competitive ego, but fed your ego to make you do your best.

After I left SOM, we still shared the issue of Pennsylvania Avenue and the Mall. His devotion to the environment, built and unbuilt, continued to the end.

In the beginning, Nat was the dominant partner/leader, the primary force of SOM. But for me, finally, he was a beloved and trusted friend.

Unpublished Material

Netsch, Walter, and Lawrence B. Anderson. "Conversation Between Lawrence B. Anderson and Walter Netsch, Lois Craig Attending." Chicago, 1984. Typescript, 30 p.

Typescript of a candid conversation on April 7, 1984, at Netsch's Chicago residence. Lawrence Anderson was one of Netsch's favorite professors at MIT, and the conversation begins with Walter's decision in 1939 to study architecture there. Credits MIT, and Anderson's tutelage in particular, with preparing him for his career: "My training allowed me to be a maverick architect all my life. You allowed me to be a maverick student. That was one of the delights of your teaching; you didn't make all of us in your image." (p. 6) Beginning on page 13, Netsch recounts his early years with SOM, including projects in Oak Ridge, San Francisco, and Japan, before transferring to the Chicago office. Discusses programming the designs for the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and U.S. Air Force Academy. The Cadet Chapel receives considerable attention (p. 19-23). Moves on to Netsch's SOM career and design studio in Chicago, conflicts within the firm, the Pruitt-Igoe public housing project in St. Louis, and Netsch's philosophy of architecture and architectural education. Lois Craig, author of The Federal Presence: Architecture, Politics, and Symbolism in U.S. Government Buildings (MIT Press, 1978, 1984), was also in attendance.

1986

Books

Chicago Park District. Preliminary Reorganization Report. Chicago: The Park District, 1986. 157 p. il. maps. diagrams.

In this plan, Netsch lays out his agenda as President of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Park District, an office he served in from June, 1986 to 1987. Netsch continued as Commissioner of the Park District until 1989. From the report preface, he states his mission:

Since the inception of my responsibilities as President of the Chicago Park District Board, it has become self-evident that the current management system must change if the heritage of the Chicago Parks, the open space living room of all Chicagoans and their guests, is to survive.

This change requires more than a paper shuffle of people. It requires that a deep sense of responsibility and professional ethics be reestablished for the Chicago parks both in depth and character, irrespective of the impact of personnel and politics.

The proposed decentralized organization will solicit and nurture local responsibility, improve park quality through coordinated management, improve recreation through responsive management, and will provide, even at the Commission level, a new depth in professional support to prevent the erosion of purpose: Building the finest park system in the United States.

The subject of this report is professional ethics, continuity and review, central and local management, local community participation, and decentralized organization. (p. 6).

After reviewing results of the reorganization program and enumerating goals and priorities for 1986-87, the report is divided into two parts. Part 1 describes the current organization and host park areas; Part 2 contains job descriptions and addresses miscellaneous issues, such as playground safety and concessions. For an overview of Netsch's ambitious program for the Park District, see Nevin Hedlund's article. "Netsch Takes on the Parks," Inland Architect 31, no. 1 (January - February 1987): 79-85.

1987

Books

Netsch, Walter. Classic Parks-How Can They Live Today? Charlottesville, VA: Division of Landscape Architecture, University of Virginia, 1987. 12 p. 1 il.

Contains the text, with accompanying illustrations, of the third annual Benjamin C. Howland Memorial Lecture at the University of Virginia, delivered by Netsch on April 10, 1987. Following introductory remarks by Jaquelin T. Robertson, Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia, Netsch reviews the history and importance of parks in Chicago and presents the challenges for their prosperity. In his remarks, he pays homage to visionaries including Daniel Burnham, Frederick Law Olmsted, William LeBaron Jenney, Jens Jensen, A. Montgomery Ward, and Alfred Caldwell. Concludes:

We continue to seek ways to bring people to the lakefront and to the parks in an atmosphere of camaraderie and in beautiful surroundings which have typified our classic parks and which are Chicago's natural and cultural legacy. It is quite possible we can revive Olmsted's methods of creating informal and open spaces, and again combine it with formal promenades ... and very formal plantings, as exemplified in Jensen's rose garden, and high technology to rival the beauty of the bridges pf the past, and techniques of restoration of the Refectory in Lincoln Park.

These parks of Chicago should again become, like the Chicago skyscrapers, major events in the city scene. The cities-all cities, including Chicago-will only survive if their parks survive, and only if the missions and responsibilities in the professional areas of landscape architecture and architecture and planning continues to take a positive interest. (p. 12)

Unpublished Material

Johnson, Al, Mary Decker, and Walter Netsch. "Final Report of Mayor Washington’s Stadium Review Committee." Chicago: The Committee, 1987. 24 p.

1990s

1996

Books

"Myron Goldsmith" in Myron Goldsmith (Chicago: Illinois Institute of Technology, 1996): 24.

Tribute to Myron Goldsmith (1918-1996) by Dawn Clark and Walter Netsch. Goldsmith taught at IIT for 35 years and worked at SOM. The Netschs' contribution reads:

Education and architecture, whether at IIT or SOM, were Myron's philosophy and love. His creative talents provided SOM with memorable architectural contributions. His methodology, whether as an architect at SOM or a professor at IIT, imbued his life and work with that special quality that talent gives to few architects-love and integrity, patience, and caring; his work and teaching attest to these qualities.

1997

Unpublished Material

Netsch, Walter. Interview by Betty J. Blum. "Oral History of Walter Netsch." Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1997. 474 p.

"Compiled under the auspices of the Chicago Architects Oral History Project, The Ernest R. Graham Study Center for Architectural Drawings, Department of Architecture, The Art Institute of Chicago." This transcript, which includes bibliographical references (p. 464-67) and an index, records interviews conducted on May 10, 1985 (one session) and June 5 through 28, 1995 (eleven sessions). It fills sixteen 90-minute tapes. A rich and remarkable combination of history and memories, the entire transcript is available at www.artic.edu/aic/libraries/caohp/netsch.html.

2000s

2001

Articles

Mertins, Detlef. “Walter Netsch Interviewed by Detlef Mertins.” SOM Journal 1 (2007): 136-51. 16 il. 14 plans and diagrams.

Wide-ranging interview conducted May 21, 2001, at Netsch's residence in Chicago by Detlef Mertins, an architectural historian at the University of Toronto. Summarizes Netsch's life and career, touching on major commissions such as the U.S. Air Force Academy. Netsch explains the development and experimentation of Field Theory, his proportional aesthetic theory is based upon geometric interpretations of lattice designs. Discusses individual contributions by his design team and engineers at SOM, as well as working relations and interactions within the firm. Explains reasons behind his early retirement in 1979, and various projects he has been involved with since then. Explores the importance of art in his work and life and how he seeks design sources in nature, in particular the gingko leaf and the chrysanthemum. Mentions books and architects who influenced him and why and how he collected art. Cites Wells College Library (Aurora, NY) as his best building. Includes images of his home, the U.S.A.F.A., and assorted Field Theory studies and diagrams.

Date last modified:March 12, 2007

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