Pierre Koenig (1925-2004), Architect

Pierre Koenig (Born on October 17th, 1925 in San Francisco, CA) was an American Architect and a leading figure of the Modernist movement in post-war California. After graduating from the USC (B.Arch.) in Los Angeles in 1952, he apprenticed under Raphael Soriano before starting his own office. A few years later, John Etenza, Chief Editor and Publisher of the famous “Arts & Architecture” magazine, asked Koenig if he wanted to contribute to the Case Study House Program. This resulted in Case Study Houses #21 (Bailey House) and #22 (Stahl House), the final two of eight houses featured in the Case Study House Program that were based on a steel frame. Both were constructed on dramatic, otherwise-unbuildable sites. Living with steel remained the main topic of Koenigs work throughout his career.