Edward Durrell Stone: Modernism’s Maverick

Modernism in the early part of the 20th century emerged through an explosion of ideas that stripped architecture and design of irrelevant decoration, exploiting materials such as concrete, glass, and steel—largely due to the deprivation left by World War I. From the sculpted forms of the expressionist style of the past to the new age functionalism of concrete and glass buildings, architects developed the International Style. While the International Style was chosen to describe the modernist architecture of the 1920s and early 1930s, influenced by architects such as Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, and Le Corbusier, one architect infamous for pursuing this style was Edward Durrell Stone (1902-1978). An American architect, educator, and designer, Stone was an early practitioner of the International Style but took his architecture in a different direction after the post-war 1940s. By 1958, Stone, who designed buildings across all borders, was the best-known architect in the world.

Working globally, Stone considered not only the structure but also the various factors affecting it as a whole. His design for the U.S. Embassy in India brought modernism while balancing the cultural aspects of the nation. His travels around the world and studies in climate change informed his understanding of India’s tropical climate, enabling him to deliver a climate-responsive structure.

When critically examining his works as a modernist pioneer, Stone came under significant controversy as his stylistic progression increasingly fell out of favor due to his shift from the International Style to a more “romantic” modern aesthetic that incorporated decoration along with aspects of monumentality, regionalism (the importance of vernacularity), historicism, and fantasy. Stone’s first phase of work began in the mid-1930s when he experimented with the International Style after it was presented in 1932 at the Museum of Modern Art (founded in 1929) in New York City. Following the fanfare of neoclassicism’s influence in the 1920s, Stone’s early work also contained hints of opulence.

The Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, completed in 1932, was a collaboration with Donald Deskey, designing the interiors of one of the main halls. Following the preconceived notion that opera halls should feel grand, we see Stone’s experimentation with modernist style through minor details. From light fixtures to clean metal hand railings, he breaks away from ornamental grandeur, introducing sleek cylindrical forms as chandeliers. However, the additional beautification of the hall is still present through painting-esque wallpapers, albeit in subtle colors.

Continuing with his International Style experimentation, Stone gained a reputation as a great designer of contemporary residential architecture. The Richard H. Mandel House in New York (1934) and the A. Conger Goodyear House in New York (1938) both allowed Stone full freedom. “Mr. Stone embodied principles of European modernism. He worked with steel, concrete, and plate glass. He created great open spaces, so that one room in the house flowed into the other.” These specific sites allow us to observe how Stone understood the relationship between the site and its built structure.

Soon, Stone realized that the general public found the strict contemporary vocabulary “too sparse, too arid, too cold.” Fully aware, he shifted to an American vernacular expression advised by Frank Lloyd Wright, who became not only an inspiration but a mentor. This shift can be seen in the Walter and Betsy Johnson Home in Connecticut, completed in 1953. Another project with a green site, this home demonstrates the relationship Stone formed between the built structure and its environment, using wood for both the exterior and interior. By designing this house, Stone managed to satisfy both societal expectations and his clients’ needs without compromising his standards. He fused vernacular style with his modern ideologies.

While receiving much appreciation for his ideas and designs, Stone also garnered significant criticism. One of these infamous structures is the 2 Columbus Circle, or “The Lollipop Building,” in Manhattan, built on an irregular site and formerly known as the Gallery of Modern Art. The 10-story concrete modern-style building, with a touch of ornamentation, has been the height of controversy since the 1960s. Famously described as “a die-cut Venetian palazzo on lollipops” by architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable, the building remains a point of contention.

However, despite the criticism, Stone was highly envied by his peers for receiving countless projects locally in America and being commissioned to design some of the most sought-after projects of the time. Notable among these were the American Embassy in New Delhi, India, and the United States Pavilion at the World’s Exposition in Brussels, Belgium, in 1958. Working globally, Stone considered not only the structure but also the various factors affecting it as a whole. His design for the U.S. Embassy in India brought modernism while balancing the cultural aspects of the nation. His travels around the world and studies in climate change informed his understanding of India’s tropical climate, enabling him to deliver a climate-responsive structure. The exterior jaali, or latticed screen facade, kept traditional Indian architecture alive, while the grand entry and double-height glass facade introduced Stone’s modernist touch.

Stone was also a luminary in Pakistan’s architecture in the 1960s, working on projects such as the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Pakistan International Airlines office buildings and mosques, the Water and Power Development Authority in Lahore, and the Presidential Palace for General Ayub Khan. One of the main reasons for his numerous commissions was Stone’s seamless understanding of how to implement Islamic design in his site plans. He utilized ornamental, religious patterning and detailed materials to resemble historic Islamic architecture.

Lastly, Stone is still remembered as “a controversial architect about whose work architects and other people seem to have widely divergent views.” Ironically, Stone himself acknowledged that “a great building should be universal, not controversial.” Whatever the opinions may be, Edward Durrell Stone was a point of criticism during his time, as he understood the potential for future living that embodied modern architecture and new materials.