Gruen, Victor David#
b. Vienna, July 18, 1903, d. Vienna, Feb. 14, 1980, architect. Worked in Vienna until 1938, then emigrated to the USA, where in 1947 he founded one of the leading architecture firms in the USA (V. G. Associates). He became famous in 1955/1956 for his design of the Southdale Center near Minneapolis, the first shopping centre in the world to be integrated under one roof and equipped with a revolutionary new type of heating system. In the mid-1960s in the United States G. developed the first concepts for pedestrian zones in Fort Worth and Fresno. In 1967 he returned to Vienna, where he opened another architecture office.
Other projects: Northland Shopping Center, Detroit, 1954. -
Publications#
Shopping Towns USA, 1960; The Heart of Our Cities, 1964; Centers for the Urban Environment, 1973.