Claude Stoller

Claude Stoller was an architect of note, known for his advocacy for social housing and historic preservation. He grew up in the Bronx, New York. Stoller's completion of studies at DeWitt Clinton High School, coincided with the exhibit Bauhaus 1919-1928 at the Museum of Modern Art. Through this exhibition, he became interested in attending Black Mountain College (BMC) in western North Carolina. While at BMC, Stoller took a wide variety of classes, including Josef Albers's courses in design, color, and drawing along with architecture courses led by Lawrence Kocher, Howard Dearstyne, and Lou Bernard Voight. Stoller, along with fellow student Charles Forberg, oversaw the construction of the Jalowetz House, a small dwelling designed by Lawrence Kocher for music instructor Henrich Jalowetz, and his family. BMC also gave Stoller a chance to experiment with photography. In 1942, Claude Stoller was drafted into the United States Army. He served in the 14th Coast Artillery on Puget Sound in Washington State. After attending army engineering school, Stoller served in Germany and France with the 13th Armored Division.

Following his war-time service, Stoller gained acceptance to the Harvard Graduate School of Design with advanced standing due to his Black Mountain coursework. His classes with Josef Albers and Peter Bergmann, combined with his practical construction experience, laid a firm groundwork for his future scholarship. After studying a year abroad in Florence, Italy, Stoller worked for architectural firms in the Boston area before moving to San Francisco to start his own firm. In 1956, Claude Stoller and Robert B. Marquis founded Marquis & Stoller Architects, which focused on the general practice of architecture and planning, including residential, institutional, and government projects. The following year, Stoller was invited to join the faculty in the Department of Architecture at the University of California at Berkeley. He served as acting chairma n in 1965-1966 and chair of graduate studies from the early 1980s until his retirement in 1991. In 1965, Stoller started Continuing Education in Environmental Design in collaboration with the University of California, University Extension. Courses were offered in architecture, planning, landscape architecture, and design professionals. In 1966-1967, as the internship component of the program, Stoller founded the pioneering San Francisco Community Design Center to address student interest in inequities in housing, and community concern about redevelopment plans. The Center became a prototype for other Community Design Centers that brought the skills of architectural interns to economically depressed neighborhoods where there was a real need for remodeling of old buildings or new construction, and where interns worked to bring solutions to existing neighborhoods. In 1978, Stoller formed Stoller/Partners (later Stoller Knoerr Architects) in Berkeley. Projects included single homes, multiple dwellings, religious buildings, and institutional and commercial structures. Social issues such as housing and energy-efficient designs were a primary concern for Stoller as was historic preservation.

Biography written by Heather South, archivist at Western Regional Archives.

Relationships:

Married BMC students Nan Oldenburg, then Rosemary Raymond.

Black Mountain College Project

Mary Emma Harris interviewed Claude in 1998 (transcript), 2002 (transcript), an 2012 (transcript) which are available from Appalachian State University under The Mary Emma Harris and Black Mountain College Project, Inc. Oral History collection.

Topics 1998: Hearing about BMC at MoMA 1938 Bauhaus exhibition – application process – travel to BMC on train – Lee Hall and effect on community – studies with Josef Albers – BMC friends – Albers as teacher – Albers classes in design (Werklehre), drawing, color and painting – weaving with Anni Albers – influence of Albers drawing class on Stoller’s teaching – photography at BMC – woodworking with Mary Gregory – Edward DuPuy – work program – effect of no grades – Richard Carpenter – Macbeth performance at BMC – Robert Wunsch as teacher – visit by Clifford Odets – Carlos Merida at BMC – importance of visitors – Roy’s bar – visit to cave in Tennessee – Gashouse Gang – political issues at college – construction of Studies Building – Charles Godfrey – Lawrence Kocher, architect – construction of Jalowetz House – Peter Bergmann – Albert Einstein’s visit – May Sarton visit – work program – Theodore Dreier on campus – death of Mark Dreier – mealtimes – close relationship between faculty and students – Bill (Alex) Reed

Topics 2002: Early architectural practice with Robert Marquis – study at Harvard and comparison to BMC – Walter Gropius – Charles Forberg and Ati Gropius – construction experience at BMC – architects who influenced his work – influence of BMC on Stoller's teaching – Lawrence Kocher – discussion of BMC photographs – photography at BMC – Studies Building construction – Lawrence Kocher small house design class – Carlos Merida visit – Jalowetz cottage construction

Topics 2012: Work with Buckminster Fuller in St. Louis – identification of individuals in photos taken at 1995 BMC reunion at Lake Eden – identification of individualsin photos taken at BMC – Fred Stone at BMC and later – Isaac Nakata