GSD Alumni and Friends
Frank Schlesinger, MArch '54
Frank Schlesinger, FAIA, M Arch '54, was one of five architects who received a National AIA Honor Award for Urban Design for the revitalization of a long neglected block of Georgetown in Washington, DC. known as Cady's Alley. The goal was to develop design centered, retail space (furniture, lighting, bathrooms, kitchens, etc.) combined, when appropriate, with residential use "over the store". In order to avoid creating an urbanized version of a suburban "big box" shopping center, the project was developed as a series of small parcels, each one developed by one of the five architectural firms. The resulting diversity provides a renewed urbanized ambience in the heart of historic Georgetown. Schlesinger's contribution to this effort was 3336 Cady's Alley consisting of rental apartments over ground floor retail space.
This monograph represents an overview of the work of Frank Schlesinger. His firm is unusual in that, despite its having always been relatively small, it has done a wide range of work in terms of both scale and building type. The size of the firm has been important to him in helping to maintain a “hands-on” relationship to the work that comes through the office.
After undergraduate studies at Middlebury College and the University of Illinois, Frank Schlesinger received a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. He then worked in the offices of Hugh Stubbins, Marcel Breuer and Louis Kahn before starting his own practice
Over the years, he has always believed it important to combine practice with teaching. To that end, he has been on the architectural faculties of the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University and the University of Maryland, where he is presently Professor Emeritus.
For more information, please email schlesingerfaia@msn.com.