Lou Bernard Voigt received his B.S. in 1939 from the University of Illinois and then enrolled at the School of Design at Harvard University where he receive his Master of Landscape Architecture degree.

He visited Black Mountain College for a month in June 1942. Before returning to Black Mountain in August, he did work for a Christopher Tunnard, Dan Kiley and the firm of Stonorov and Kahn on a defense housing project. He returned to Black Mountain in August to make a study of the landscaping and farming issues at Lake Eden.

On August 30 he gave a talk at the college on “Land Use Problems” and showed his pen and ink drawings of plans for Lake Eden. In September he was appointed Instructor in Landscape Architecture and Botany from September 1942-September 1943.

At Black Mountain he worked with Kocher and Josef Albers on a permanent landscaping plan. He also taught courses in Botany, Plant Physiology, Plant Ecology, and Landscape Architecture. During the war, Voigt worked with the firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill on site planning development for atomic plant installations at Oak Ridge, Tennessee and did work for the Office of Strategic Services and the Department of State in Washington, D.C.

From 1948-50, while employed by the Planning Division of the National Capital Parks, he did designs for parks, squares and circles in the Washington area. After 1950, he was engaged as a consultant by Charles M. Goodman Associates in Washington, D.C.

Before his death in 1953, he worked with Goodman on two postwar Washington-area residential developments of modern houses, Hammond Wood and Hollin Hills. He did the plantings at Hammond Wood and worked with Dan Kiley and Eric Paepcke on the landscape design at Hollin Hills.

Biography written by Mary Emma Harris for Black Mountain Project. This biography was funded by a grant from the Graham Foundation for a study of architecture at Black Mountain College.

Relationships

Wife: Staff, Margaret Stenderhoff

Asheville Art Museum Collection

Writings about Lou can be seen in digitized college bulletins on Asheville Art Museum's collection website: collection.ashevilleart.org. They can be found by searching these accession numbers:

2017.40.263 November 1942 bulletin,

"Lou Bernard Voigt comes to Black Mountain as an instructor in botany and landscape architecture. A graduate of the University of Illinois and of the Harvard School of Design, Mr Voigt was worked since his graduation with architects Christopher Tunnard, Daniel Urban Kiley, and the firm of Stonorov and Kahn. He is at present working with Mr Albers and Mr Kocher on a permanent landscaping plan for the College grounds.