Walter Netsch Bibliography

Secondary Sources

2000s

2000

Articles

Neal, Steve. "Netsch's Legacy Still Being Written." Chicago Sun-Times (November 25, 2000): 25.

Editorial tribute to Chicago native Walter Netsch, "a major American architect ... renowned for his bold innovation," wishing him a full recovery from recent health problems. Recounts Netsch's major works, his presidency of the Chicago Park District, his farsighted planning for Chicago's waterfront, and his support of wife Dawn Clark Netsch's history-making campaign for governor of Illinois in 1994. Concludes, "Of all of Netsch's accomplishments, what I admire most about him is his partnership with his wife ... Because of his unselfishness, she made political history."

2001

Books

Baugher, Shirley. Our Old Town: The History of a Neighborhood. Chicago: The Old Town Triangle Association, 2001. 158 p. il.

Includes short biographical entries on the professional achievements of Walter and Dawn Clark Netsch. Walter Netsch is listed as the second vice president of the Old Town Triangle Association in 1980 (p. 130-31, 141).

Dupré, Judith. Churches. Introductory interview with Mario Botta. NY: HarperCollins, 2001. 168p. 4 il.

Includes a two-page spread on the USAFA Cadet Chapel, illustrated by four color photos and a small floor plan (p. 132-33). Text highlights the Chapel’s controversial history, its innovative use of structural technology and prefabrication methods, and its five separate chapels. Concludes: “Both praised and derided at the time of its construction as ‘Air Age Gothic,’ the chapel and its history present an intriguing study for contemporary church builders who seek to resolve the dilemma of reinterpreting ecclesiastical tradition in a way that reflects their times and yet retains meaning.”

Kamin, Blair. Why Architecture Matters: Lessons From Chicago. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001. 386 p. il.

Compilation of Kamin's architecture criticism that originally appeared in the Chicago Tribune from 1994 to 2000. One article highlights SOM's outstanding achievements, including the Inland Steel Building (p. 129). Netsch, former president of the Chicago Park District Board, discusses the “populist status” of Grant Park in Chicago (p. 323, 328).

Articles

"G. Wiz/Blivas Science and Technology Center, Sarasota, Florida." Florida/Caribbean Architect (Winter 2001): 14, 16. 5 il. 1 plan.

Credits architect Dale S. Parks (CC+P Architects) with redesigning the Sarasota County's Selby Public Library, a library based on Field Theory designed by Netsch in 1975. Parks transformed the library into the G. Wiz/Blivas Science and Technology Center in 2000. Details how Parks modified Netsch's original design to accommodate new uses. Concludes, "The building is very respectful of the original architect's design and it provides a dynamic addition to the city's cultural center."

Bey, Lee. "Netsch Home Fits; Doesn't Battle its Neighbors." Chicago Sun-Times (May 6, 2001): Homelife, 8. 2 il.

Highlights Netsch's home in Old Town, twenty-seven years after its construction. Compliments its modernist design for blending into the neighborhood and praises its "superb design with an open, multilayered interior where bold forms, light and space are properly wed." Netsch responds to questions about the design's intent and flexibility and discusses modifications to accommodate an elevator. Photos show exterior and interior views.

2002

Books

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Preserving a Heritage: Executive Summary, the Air Force Academy Design Standards. Prepared for the United States Air Force Academy. Chicago: SOM, 2002. il. plans. diagrams.

Lengthy summary document that assesses the present condition of the U.S.A.F.A. buildings and recommends preservation measures. Publishes design standards used in the original construction phases and cost estimates of various treatment solutions. Strongly urges preservation of this historic site and its unique architecture.

2003

Books

Caldbeck, Elaine, Jeffrey Garrett, Harrie M. Hughes, Robert Michaelson, Joan A. Reyes, James Shedlock, and Christopher Simoni. "Northwestern University Libraries." Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, ed. by Miriam A. Drake. NY: Marcel Dekker, 2003: III, 2165-178.

Encyclopedia entry that provides an overview of the history of all of Northwestern University's libraries, including Netsch's designs for the Main Library (1970) and the Science and Engineering Library (1976). Concludes with a list of references.

O’Gorman, Thomas J. Chicago. London: PRC Publishing Ltd.; dist. in U.S. and Canada by Sterling Pub. Co., 2003. 96 p. il.

Showcases the Inland Steel Building on p. 72-75, with three color photos. Credits Walter Netsch and Bruce Graham equally for its design. Notes the building's historical importance and numerous innovative design and engineering features. Discusses how it was immediately embraced by the public and has become a beloved Chicago landmark. States, "The Inland Steel Building is as bright and fresh as the day it opened forty-three years ago. Its glass curtain and shining stainless steel continue to dazzle." (p. 75) The book is part of O'Gorman's "Architecture in Detail" series.

Schulze, Franz, and Kevin Harrington, eds. Chicago’s Famous Buildings: A Photographic Guide to the City’s Architectural Landmarks and Other Notable Buildings. 4th ed., rev. and enl. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1993. 348 p. il.

Includes short entries on the Art Institute of Chicago (p. 45), the Inland Steel Building (p. 3), the University of Illinois, Chicago campus (p. 112, 210-12), the Illinois Institute of Technology campus (p. 232-34), the University of Chicago campus (p. 137, 249), and the Northwestern University campus (p. 142, 266-67). The fourth edition (1993) was the first to credit Netsch’s work on these projects. He is mentioned as the architect of the East Wing of the Art Institute and as the design partner behind the University of Illinois, Chicago campus. Illustrations are featured in the entries for the the Inland Steel Building, multiple buildings on the University of Illinois, Chicago campus, and the Lindheimer Astronomical Research Center.

Articles

Glancey, Jonathan. "Architecture: Whose Home is it Anyway?: NATO is Finally Getting a New HQ. But Should the US Be Designing It?" The Guardian (London) (February 3, 2003): Features, 12.

Reviews "that grand old Yankee firm" SOM's conceptual designs for the new NATO Headquarters, a building complex planned for the King Albert I Royal Air Force base, near the existing NATO Headquarters in Brussels. SOM was awarded the commission in 2002, winning over 121 other candidates. References Netsch's U.S. Air Force Academy and Cadet Chapel ("one of the world's most magnificent chapels, an aluminum-clad compression of what seems to be 17 vertically stacked jet fighter wings.") Urges SOM to assemble an international team that will safeguard against the overpowering and "terrifying beauty" of multinational corporate mega-structures. Postulates that "institutions [such as NATO] ought to be housed in buildings that evoke the idea of working together as well as quiet, if firm, resolution. They need to be calm, yet as characterful as the Air Force Academy ... simple, orderly and frills-free as the Air Force Academy, whose buildings are actually quite simple objects, and whose impact derives mainly from its heroic mountainous backdrop and mesmerizing chapel." NATO Headquarters is scheduled to open in 2009.

Hein, Rich. "Look Beyond Bottom Line on Selling Thompson Center." Chicago Sun-Times (April 14, 2003). il.

Editorial that opposes Governor Rod Blagojevich's plans to sell the James R. Thompson Center (and former State of Illinois Building) to a developer who wants to demolish it. Claims that numerous ugly buildings exist in Chicago that, over time, have become accepted as part of the cityscape. Quotes Helmut Jahn, the building's principal architect, defending it as "an important building because it reflects a certain time, the way the state decided how to represent itself." Jahn also points out that the Thompson Center connects to the city's infrastructure. In the opening paragraph, Hein rants against "Walter Netsch's famously hideous structures at the University of Illinois at Chicago Campus, buildings so stark and ugly that once a UIC survey of prospective freshmen found that one reason high school students visiting the school chose not to attend was because they hated the buildings."

Diedrich, John. "AFA Chapel Roof Leaking Cash." Colorado Springs Gazette (November 3, 2003).

Reports on water leaks at the U.S.A.F.A. Cadet Chapel that the author claims will cost $35 million to repair completely. It now costs between $200,000 and $300,000 a year for a company to caulk its 32 miles of roof joints. States that the building itself is in no danger of major damage.

Unpublished Material

Tigerman, Stanley. Interview by Betty J. Blum. "Oral History of Stanley Tigerman." Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2003. 273 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." Transcript of an oral history of Stanley Tigerman (b. 1930), who worked as a junior designer under Walter Netsch on the U.S. Air Force Academy commission. In SOM's Chicago office, he worked with Bruce Graham before opening his own firm in 1964. Tigerman discusses his turbulent associations with Netsch on pages 14, 41-50, 54-55, 64, 65, 69, 103-09, 124, 127, 142-43, 222, and 236. The interview took place on April 10-14, 1998.

2004

Books

Davidson, Cameron, and Magda Nakassis. Chicago From Above. London: Myriad Books, 2004. 32 p. il.

Photographic essay with explanatory text highlights noteworthy Chicago landmarks. Netsch’s East Wing of the Art Institute (p. 14) and Frances Searle Building at Northwestern University (p. 25) are pictured.

Sinkevitch, Alice, ed. AIA Guide to Chicago. 2nd ed. NY: Harcourt, 2004. Introduction by Perry R. Duis. 574 p. il. plans.

This edition contains entries for St. Matthew United Methodist Church (p. 141), Netsch’s protegé Wilbert O. Rueter’s 1841 N. Sedgwick St. (p. 183), the Netschs' home (p. 185), the University of Illinois, Chicago (p. 297-301), and Joseph Regenstein Library (p. 451).

Nauman, Robert Allen. On the Wings of Modernism: The United States Air Force Academy. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2004. 173 p. il. plans. maps.

Comprehensive and thoroughly documented history of the U.S.A.F.A., from initial conception through completion of the Cadet Chapel in 1963. Nauman, professor of art and architecture at the University of Colorado at Boulder, examines bureaucratic and political forces and posturing behind the Academy, the competition and awarding of the commission to SOM, efforts to gain approval for its design by the U.S. Congress and the public, the multi-year design debates, construction, and the controversial Cadet Chapel. Includes numerous references to Walter Netsch and incorporates quotations by Netsch (see index). Reprints design plans, schematics, elevations, and photos of the site and of buildings under construction. Devotes a chapter to the Cadet Chapel: "'In God We Trust': The Academy Chapel" (p. 108-31). Ends with an epilogue about the Academy's future as both a dynamic institution and as a national monument. Appendices include a list of applicants for the U.S.A.F.A. competition, with texts on other finalists. Includes a selected bibliography (p. 165-68). Definitive scholarly resource for the Academy's building history. Review: W. Morgan, Architectural Record 192, no. 11 (November 2004): 79, 81.

Zukowsky, John, and Martha Thorne. Masterpieces of Chicago Architecture. Preface by Stanley Tigerman. New York: Rizzoli; Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2004. 240 p. il.

Publishes over 200 illustrations drawn from the Art Institute of Chicago's repository of architectural drawings, models, and building fragments, with accompanying text. See pages 122-23 for information and three color photos of the Inland Steel Building (1958). Credits Netsch's original all-glass design, finished by Bruce Graham in stainless steel that emphasizes the owner's corporate image.

Articles

Northwestern University Library Council. “Walter Netsch Inducted as Life Member of Library Board.” Footnotes 29, no. 1 (Winter 2004): 6. 2 il.

One-page biography of Netsch, with a history of the Northwestern University Library and a black-and-white reproduction of a watercolor sketch of the building. Netsch became the Library Board of Governors' first life member in October 2004. Includes a photo of Netsch receiving congratulations, with Dawn Clark Netsch in the background.

Arnest, Mark. "Academy Created its Own Classical Style." Colorado Springs Gazette (Spring 2004): 10-11. 3 il.

Article on the U.S. Air Force Academy in a commemorative 50th anniversary celebration section. The Cadet Chapel is featured on p. 11.

Randl, Chad Garrett. “The Mania for A-Frames.”Old House Journal Online, July 2004. http://www.oldhousejournal.com/magazine/2004/july/aframes.shtml.

Brief mention of Netsch’s U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel among noteworthy A-frames: "In 1963, Walter Netsch, Jr. exploded the typically flat A-frame roof plane into three dimensions with the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel in Colorado Springs, Colorado." (p. 1)

Barber, Joe. "Architect Knows Ins, Outs of Academy." Colorado Springs Gazette (August 24, 2004): Metro 5. 2 il.

Feature on the U.S. Air Force Academy, with reference to architect Duane Boyle, chief of program development at the Academy, who is responsible for architectural and planning programs. Boyle worked for SOM, who sent him the Academy in 1983. Mentions Netsch's designs and conceptual program for the Academy: "...Netsch came up with a 7-foot basic unit for the academy's construction and landscape grid. ... Netsch liked to travel, and when he was in Japan - before the Academy work began - he took special notice of the tatami, fabric mats roughly 6 feet long used for sleeping. 'That started him thinking about the proportions of the human body and that relates to the built environment,' Bole said."

Nauman, Robert Allen. "Preserving a Monument: The United States Air Force Academy." Future Anterior: Journal of Historic Preservation History, Theory and Criticism 1, no. 2 (Fall 2004): 32-41. 3 il. 2 plans.

Summarizes efforts by the U.S.A.F.A. and SOM consultants "within the context of both tradition and continuity, with respect for the past an eye to the future." (p. 40) Recounts conversations with Duane Boyle, an architect who oversees future Academy design and planning, as well as SOM consultants Marilyn Jordan Taylor and Mark Leininger. Notes that "Walter Netsch, SOM's architect in charge of the original academy design, also continues to offer advice." (p. 36) Provides a concise overview of the Academy's history, changes and new buildings added in the 1980s (not always in keeping with the original scheme), SOM's new master plan for the Academy (created in 1985), and ramifications and challenges of maintaining the integrity of the Cadet Area since its designation as a National Historic Landmark District. Nauman is an architectural historian at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

2005

Books

Baugher, Shirley. At Home in Our Old Town; Every House Has a Story. Chicago: Old Town Triangle Association, 2005. 172 p. il. maps.

The Netsch home is featured on pages 125-34, supplemented by seven exterior and interior photos, as well as portraits of Walter and Dawn Clark Netsch, and one floor plan. In the text, Walter discusses site selection, design ideas based on Field Theory, engineering the home without interior walls, and the couple's art collection. Pages 130-34 offer biographical details about Walter and Dawn.

Clark, Roger H., and Michael Pause. Precedents in Architecture: Analytic Diagrams, Formative Ideas, and Partis. 3rd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2005. 306 p. il. plans. diagrams.

This book's illustrations include a conceptual drawing of Wells College Library in Aurora, New York, designed by Netsch in 1968. (p. 273)

Felsen, Martin, and Sarah Dunn. “Walter Netsch: Field Theory” in Chicago Architecture: Histories, Revisions, Alternatives, ed. Charles Waldheim and Katrina Rüedi Ray. (Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2005): 253-60. 3 il.

Explains and analyzes Field Theory through text, diagrams, photographs, and quotations from Netsch. Concludes:

At SOM, Netsch was a maverick. He was given little respect from his partners, and he had his own autonomous studio away from SOM headquarters. But he remained tightly connected to the SOM establishment by way of his general urban assumption, even insistence, that any project site/context be empty before design work begins: field theory can't or won't deal with existing context, it needs to makes its [sic] own fresh start. The operative ground condition for field theory is tabula rasa. (p. 254)

Goodman, David. “Systematic Genius: Walter Netsch and the Architecture of Bureaucracy.” In Chicago Architecture: Histories, Revisions, Alternatives, ed. Charles Waldheim and Katrina Rüedi Ray. (Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2005): 261-84. 3 il. 5 plans and diagrams.

Lengthy tribute to Netsch, with an overview of his career, designs, and theoretical principles, describes Netsch as a SOM maverick, idealist, programmer, specialist, auteur, and opportunist. “Netsch is the genius of the bureaucracy, within the bureaucracy.” (p. 263) Includes three photographs and five plans and diagrams. Concludes:"... Netsch pursued an academic market that might otherwise reject a firm whose clientele consisted largely of multinational corporations. Yet, unlike executives at GM, the SOM partnership was never fully within the organization. Although SOM did not pursue this possibility, Netsch presented them with a model of target market branding within SOM." (p. 284)

Schulze, Franz. Illinois Institute of Technology: The Campus Guide: An Architectural Tour. With photographs by Richard Barnes. Foreword by Lew Collens. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2005. 111 p. il.

Building-by-building illustrated history and guide to the Illinois Institute of Technology's Chicago campus. Netsch's Grover M. Hermann Hall (1961), IIT's student union, is covered on p. 42-3, and his Paul V. Galvin Library (1962) on p. 46-7.

Waldheim, Charles, and Katrina Rüedi Ray. “Introduction: Chicago is History.” In Chicago Architecture: Histories, Revisions, Alternatives, ed. Charles Waldheim and Katrina Rüedi Ray. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2005: xix-xx.

This essay serves as an introduction to other writings on Netsch included in the volume.

Articles

Becker, Robert. "Library Set for Grand New Chapter; U. of C. Facility Will be Nation's Largest." Chicago Tribune ( June 5, 2005): 4C. 2 maps.

Announces plans by the University of Chicago to launch a $42 million expansion of its Joseph Regenstein Library. When completed in 2009, the expansion will make Regenstein the largest research library under a single roof in North America, with a capacity of eight million volumes. Preserving open access to over half of Regenstein's print collections is a high priority. Notes Netsch's role in designing the original library which opened in 1970, located on the former site of the university's football stadium.

Schonwald, Josh. “University to Expand Library Collections to Prepare Next Generations of Scholars.” University of Chicago Chronicle 24, no. 18 (June 9, 2005). 1 il.

Announces the decision to build an addition to Netsch’s Regenstein Library (1970), but concentrates mostly on the impact of the library expansion on student and faculty research. Notes, "the building's architectural plan, which Walter Netsch designed, includes plans for an expansion. 'The foresight of the plan,' said Judith Nadler [Director of the University Library], 'was crucial.'" Current plans call for the addition to be connected to the west side of the existing building.

Kamin, Blair. “Marked for Demolition, Kenilworth House is Worth Saving.” Chicago Tribune (August 25, 2005): Tempo, 3.

Bullet item after an article on a Daniel Burnham house in Kenilworth mentions the purchase by architect Frank Gehry of the Inland Steel Building at 30 W. Monroe St., this article credits Netsch with being one of the building's early designers. Gehry states his intention to throw a party at the building this fall and invite "all the old Skidmore guys."

Olson, Janet. "Deconstructing Library (Re)construction: A Plaza-ble Tale, or, More is Less." Lantern; Northwestern University Library (Fall 2005): 2, 7. 1 il.

Article in Northwestern University Library's staff publication about rhetoric used to describe library building projects, with particular reference to the Library Plaza. "Walter Netsch kicked off the rhetoric-fest when he projected a structure that 'both inside and out becomes at times an object, at other times a continuous event.'" Notes that the 31,000 square-foot Library Plaza had unobstructed views of Lake Michigan until 1972, when Norris Student Center was constructed. Photo shows the Library Plaza, named for attorney and University Trustee Kenneth Burgess, in 1969.

Unpublished Material

Jones, William Goodrich. "Some Fields Are in the City." A talk for the Chicago Literary Club, March 28, 2005. 18 p. typescript.

Text of an address by Jones, a librarian at University of Illinois at Chicago, on Walter Netsch's career, major commissions, the UIC campus, and Field Theory. Focuses on UIC buildings that exemplify Field Theory; illuminated with 67 slides. Concludes:

These are beautiful buildings and unusual buildings, and they have their defenders as well as their critics. But the control of space that is readily apparent in the architectural drawings is less evident to those working inside those buildings.

The difficulty of working within the constraints of field theory has led to few emulators among contemporary architects. Faculty still complain about the physical separation of offices, classrooms, and lecture centers, arguing that Netsch's grand plan prevents conversation between faculty and students instead of promoting it. (p. 14)

...Walter Netsch was quoted as saying of the Circle Campus, "I hope this is the last nineteenth-century campus we ever design. Next time I hope to approach a campus as a single system, not a group of objects." Without our knowing how he would approach a 21st century campus, we will surely agree that Netsch's original intent of promoting conversation, debate, and learning between students and faculty are still goals worth pursuing, and, based on the record, have to a satisfying degree been achieved. (p. 15-16)

2006

Books

Adams, Nicholas. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill: SOM dal 1936. Milan: Electa, 2006. 338 p. il. plans. maps. In Italian.

First comprehensive history of SOM by a professor of the history of architecture at Vassar. The introduction provides an overview of the firm's history and growth, followed by sections on 27 major SOM commissions, built between 1946 and 1990. The Inland Steel Building is featured on pages 102-13 (with 17 photos, 1 elevation, and 1 floor plan), and the U.S. Air Force Academy on pages 146-61 (with 13 photos). Reproduces black-and-white and color photographs, some full-page and double-spread. References to Walter Netsch in addition to the Inland Steel and U.S.A.F.A. sections are on pages 9, 10, 12, 15, 24, 30, 32-34, ("Il caso di Walter A. Netsch"), 36, 37, 41, 47-49, 120, 124, 187, 195, and 203. Includes maps of New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco that pinpoint SOM projects (p. 319-21), as well as a bibliography of general sources and a bibliography of primary and secondary works relating to the commissions presented in the book (p. 322-31). The bibliography also lists awards and prizes for major buildings. The English edition (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill: The Experiment Since 1936) will appear in 2007.

Chartoff, Jacob, and Iker Gil Miguens. When Campus Becomes City: UIC Masterplan. Chicago: UIC College of Architecture and the Arts, School of Architecture, Spring 2006. 287 p. il. CD-ROM.

This book is a compilation of information, research, and diagrams that were collected and produced during an extensive study of the University of Illinois at Chicago Campus. It was originally presented in this format accompanied by large-format panels, animations, and a model. The project took place during the 2006 Spring Semester while the authors were pursuing their Master of Architecture degrees.(p. 6)

Reproduces Netsch's original presentation diagrammatic drawings, campus plan, and construction photos on pages 45-75 and 136-137. Includes no text, beyond reprints of newspaper articles and brief captions.

Cutler, Irving. Chicago: Metropolis of the Mid-Continent. 4th ed. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2006. 447 p. 1 il. maps.

Historical and geographical introduction to the city of Chicago that charts its growth and urban development since the last Ice Age. Includes Walter Netsch "among the most distinguished of the later-twentieth-century architects in the Second Chicago School." (p. 295) Also mentions Netsch's UIC campus, Regenstein Library at the University of Chicago, and his early design for the Inland Steel Building, "which was the prototype of innovative structural features." (p. 289)

Articles

Anderson, Maggie. "Space-shifting the Square." The Daily Iowan ( January 31, 2006): Arts.

Anecdotal article about a freshman who couldn't find her professor's office in the University of Iowa's Lindquist Center, a building designed by Walter Netsch in 1973. The student was informed by UIC Professor Robert Bruegmann that the building's complex geometry is based on Netsch's Field Theory. Bruegmann was on campus for a presentation entitled, "Walter Netsch: Modernism at Mid-Century in Iowa."

Nance, Kevin. "Building on Tradition." Chicago Sun-Times (September 24, 2006): D1.

Lengthy newspaper article on SOM's past, present, and future. References Nicholas Adams's new book Skidmore, Owings & Merrill: The Experiment Since 1936 (Electa, 2006). Regards Walter Netsch as an example of a SOM architect who "achieved a measure of individual fame." Mentions Netsch's initial design for the Inland Steel Building, his signature Field Theory design system, and his "underappreciated Air Force Academy Chapel in Colorado." Includes Stanley Tigerman's recollections of interoffice rivalries in the 1960s and 1970s.

Curry, Jessica. "Dawn Clark Netsch on Politics." Chicago Life (November 2006): 34-36, 71. 1 il.

Profile of and interview with Professor Netsch that reviews her groundbreaking career in Illinois state politics, her preferences for candidates in the upcoming local and state elections, and her social activism. She discusses her marriage to Walter Netsch and their love of the arts and the Chicago White Sox.

"United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel Restoration." SOM Journal 4 (2006): 92-105. 19 il. 7 plans and diagrams.

Report of SOM's investigation and restoration plan for the Cadet Chapel, completed in 2003. The restoration was intended to "fix problems of water filtration, repair any deteriorated components, remove any added elements, and restore the chapel to its original form and detailed profiles." (p. 93) Relates the story of its design and construct amid much public debate. When finally completed in 1963, it became the first SOM project credited to a single designer: Walter Netsch. "... the Cadet Chapel has become an icon of the Modern Age. The Chapel was designed to be provocative and iconic, and symbolic of the mission of the newly created Air Force." (p. 93) Following one page of text, the article contains reproductions of color and black-and-white photographs of the Chapel, some showing deterioration, as well as diagrams of the upgrade work and restoration improvements. The project intended to "restore the interior space to its original visual brilliance and maintain its visceral spirituality." (p. 93)

2007

Books

Mitchell, William J. Imagining MIT: Designing a Campus for the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2007. 142p.

Brief mention of the USAFA Cadet Chapel, “a soaring structure in aluminum by Walter Netsch. . . . that would not be appropriate for MIT.” (p. 5). No references to MIT buildings designed and renovated by Netsch in the 20 th-century.

Articles

Higgins, Michael. “Architect Has Designs on Keeping License.” Chicago Tribune ( May 21, 2007), II:1,4. 2 photos.

Details Netsch’s lawsuit to keep his Illinois state architect’s license despite health problems that have prevented him from fulfilling the state’s continuing education requirement. Netsch filed suit on April 30, 2007, in Cook County Circuit Court, through his attorney Matthew Iverson. Quotes both Iverson and Dawn Clark Netsch about Netsch’s resolve to qualify for a medical exemption, which was granted in 2005 but revoked in 2007.

Pridmore, Jay. "A New Order." Chicago Magazine (February 2007): 62-65, 98-104. 12 il.

Exposé on a "recent shakeup" at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill that culminated in the departure of partner Adrian Smith in late 2006. Pridmore claims that SOM is "shrewdly remaking itself for the 21st century" by embracing modern designs by younger architects. Examines personalities, motives, and politics that are reshaping the firm, as well as current projects. Small photos show famous SOM commissions, including the Inland Steel Building (p. 64). Mentions conflicts between Walter Netsch and Bruce Graham in the 1960s and 1970s on page 101.

Date last modified: June 4, 2007

Photographs courtesy Northwestern University Archives