Had “starchitect” been part of the popular lexicon in Ralph Walker’s day, he would have definitely fit the description. The American master builder (1889”1973), who designed skyscrapers and elaborate Deco interiors that changed the skylines of Manhattan and Chicago, is being celebrated with a new book, Ralph Walker: Architect of the Century, published by Rizzoli this fall, and an exhibit of his work, curated by the book’s author, Kathryn Holliday, opens March 28 in one of Walker’s iconic buildings (212 W. 18th St.; 212-335-1800 or ralphwalkerexhibit.com; free admission; by appointment only). Here, the “Red Room” of the Irving Trust Building at One Wall Street, one of the many magnificent Art Deco interiors he designed. Photo: Courtesy of Rizzoli
A photo of Walker’s West 18th Telephone Building in 1931 just after it was completed and where the show is being held today. This photograph illustrates the huge transition from the city being composed of neighborhoods of small brownstones and tenements to the new massive proportions of modernity. Photo: Courtesy of Rizzoli
As contemporary as this looks, it is Walker’s proposal for his Tower of Water and Light for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. His intention was for the 600-foot tower to be built of aluminum and glass with water flowing down to the ground creating a dreamlike mist. It was never built, but there is a model of it in the show. Photo: Courtesy of Rizzoli
On the book’s cover, the elegant Barclay Vesey Building Walker designed on West Street in 1926. Frank Lloyd Wright called Walker “the only other honest architect in America”. Photo: Courtesy of Rizzoli
