First Unitarian Church and School, Rochester, New York, Plan, elevation, and perspective sketches
Louis I. Kahn
American, born Estonia. 1901–1974
1959
Graphite on tracing paper sketches by Louis I. Kahn that try to work out the plan, elevation, and perspective for his 1959 First Unitarian Church and School, aiming to organize sacred and communal spaces into a monumental, geometric whole.
The paper is alive with layered, tentative lines—arched façades and angular roof trusses punctuated by a dominant circular geometry—so that plan and elevation seem to overlap and argue with one another as the design is invented on the page.
These drawings make visible Kahn’s method of probing form and structure, exemplifying mid‑century concerns with tectonic clarity and monumental presence that reshaped how modern architects thought about light, mass, and program.
Medium
Graphite on tracing paper
Dimensions
.1: 16 x 22" (40.6 x 55.9 cm)
.2: 5 5/8 x 12 1/2" (14.3 x 31.8 cm)
.3: 10 5/8 x 12 3/4" (27 x 32.4 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of the architect
Accession
406.1964.1-3
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
