William Pereira

William Pereira (April 25, 1909 – November 13, 1985) was an American architect, who was noted for his futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. Remarkably prolific, he worked out of Los Angeles, and was known for his love of science fiction and expensive cars, but mostly for his unmistakable style of architecture, which came to define the look of mid-20th century America.

Related Topics:
April 25 - 1909 - November 13 - 1985 - American - Architect - Transamerica Pyramid - San Francisco - Los Angeles - Science fiction - Architecture - 20th century

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Born William Leonard Pereira in Chicago, Illinois, Bill was graduated from the School of Architecture, University of Illinois and began his career in his home city. He had some of his earliest architectural experience helping to draft the master plan for the 1933 "A Century of Progress" Chicago World's Fair. With his brother, Hal, he designed the Esquire Theater at 58 East Oak Street, considered one of Chicago's best examples of Art Deco style.

Related Topics:
Chicago - Illinois - School of Architecture, University of Illinois - Career - 1933 - Chicago World's Fair - Art Deco

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In the 1930s, he and Hal moved to Los Angeles. After working as a solo architect, Bill was hired by the Motion Picture Relief Fund and designed the first buildings for the Motion Picture Country House in Woodland Hills, California, which was dedicated September 27, 1942.

Related Topics:
1930s - Motion Picture Relief Fund - Motion Picture Country House - Woodland Hills, California - September 27 - 1942

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Pereira also had a brief stint as a Hollywood art director. He shared an Academy Award for Best Special Effects for the action/adventure movie Reap the Wild Wind (1942) starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, and Paulette Goddard. He was production designer of the drama Jane Eyre (1944) starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine, and of the war drama Since You Went Away (1944) starring Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, and Joseph Cotten. Pereira was also the producer of the noir crime/drama Johnny Angel (1945) starring George Raft and Claire Trevor, and of the Joan Fontaine drama From This Day Forward (1946).

Related Topics:
Hollywood - Academy Award - Best Special Effects - Movie - Reap the Wild Wind - 1942 - Ray Milland - John Wayne - Paulette Goddard - Jane Eyre - 1944 - Orson Welles - Joan Fontaine - Since You Went Away - Claudette Colbert - Jennifer Jones - Joseph Cotten - Producer - Noir - Johnny Angel - 1945 - George Raft - Claire Trevor - From This Day Forward - 1946

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He had two wives, former model and actress Margaret McConnell (married June 24, 1934); and Bronya Galef, the latter marriage ending with his death. He has two sons, Arthur Pereira and William Pereira, Jr., and a daughter, Monica Pereira.

Related Topics:
Model - Actress - June 24 - 1934

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Though his buildings were often quite stark and sterile in their appearance (owing largely to the science fiction of the era), they were noted for their functional style with a certain flair that made them unmistakable. He took pride in the concept of designing for the future.

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In 1949, Pereira became a professor of architecture at USC. He then formed a partnership with fellow architect and classmate, Charles Luckman, in the early 1950s. The firm grew into one of the nation's busiest. The duo designed some of Los Angeles's most well-known buildings, including the famed "Theme Building" at Los Angeles International Airport.

Related Topics:
1949 - USC - Charles Luckman - 1950s - Los Angeles International Airport

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He parted with Luckman in 1959. Afterward, he formed the third and final company of his career, "William L. Pereira & Associates." In the 1960s and 1970s, he and his team completed over 250 projects, including drawing up the master plans for the Los Angeles International Airport expansion and developing the master plan for the 93,000 acre (376 km²) city of Irvine, California, which put his photograph on the cover of Time Magazine in September 1963. He later worked with Ian McHarg on the plan for the new town of The Woodlands, Texas.

Related Topics:
1959 - 1960s - 1970s - Irvine, California - 1963 - Ian McHarg - New town - The Woodlands, Texas

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Pereira's buildings were easily identified by their unmistakable style, often taking unusual forms such as pyramids and ziggurats. They usually projected a grand presence, heavyset in appearance and often sitting atop "pedestals" that were themselves an integral part of the building. Many of his buildings were complimented by water features and some were almost entirely surrounded by water. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, for instance, was a complex of three Googie-esque buildings rising up out of a lake and interconnected by a series of causeways and bridges.

Related Topics:
Pyramid - Ziggurat - Los Angeles County Museum of Art - Googie

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His material of choice in creating his unique geometric forms was pre-cast concrete. Working in this medium, he could create his impressive facades by simply attaching them as panels on to the steel frame of the building.

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William Pereira died of cancer at age 76 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. At his request, no funeral services were planned.

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