Passage III

I. M. Pei: Translating Spirit into Space

What does the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Louvre in Paris, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland have in common? In addition to being museums, however, all three buildings benefit from designs by the celebrated architect I. M. Pei.

[1] His name, which in Cantonese means "to inscribe brightly," was prophetically chosen, Pei has inscribed his brilliant architectural designs on cityscapes around the world. [2] Pei came to the United States at the age of eighteen to study architecture. [3] In 1955 he founded his own architectural firm in New York City. [4] Ieoh Ming Pei was born in Canton, China, in 1917. [5] Since that time, Pei has designed more than fifty buildings, including the John F. Kennedy Library and the Hancock Tower in Boston and the Bank of China in Hong Kong. [6] Many of his buildings have won major design awards. (34)

Pei's first concern as an architect is identifying the spirit of a place and translates that spirit mentioned here into architectural design.(36) However, Pei's design for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with its bold use of glass walls and ceilings and multiple tiers connected by escalators that direct the eye upward, appropriately reflects a celebratory and rollicking spirit.

Similarly, Pei's design for the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Texas, echoes the aim of city planners who wished to revitalize the Arts District while announcing Dallas's emergence as an international cultural center. To achieve this twofold aim, Pei designed an inward-facing music chamber and an outward-facing lobby that houses a restaurant. The building's multiple functions invite the public to share in the city's central cultural space.

While Pei's signature designs will continue to impress generations of city dwellers, perhaps his greatest contribution as an architect lies beyond the physical structures he designed. (42) In the end, rigorous attention to harmonizing tangible space by Pei with its intangible spirit may prove to be his most exciting legacy.