Biography He was born Louis Isadore Kahn in Estonia at the turn of the 20th Century (1901) and emigrated to the United States in 1905, with parents Leopold and Bertha, and siblings Sara and Oscar. Kahn attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he was first influnced by the Beaux Arts style of Architecture. Following his graduation he went on to design private homes and residences before becoming a Professor of Architecture at Yale University in 1947. His first notable project was born from this union: the Yale University Art Gallery in Connecticut. He later returned to the University of Pennsylvania as a Professor in 1957. He went on to finish several other award-winning projects such as the First Unitarian Church in Rochester, New York, the Kimbell Art Museum in Ft. Worth, Texas and the Sauk Institute in La Jolla, California. In his lifetime he was awarded several honorary degrees and doctorates, and was even awarded a doctorate from Columbia University after his death. Louis Kahn died in 1974 in New York City.

His use of solid forms and rather "industrial" materials put him ahead of his time, "breaking" the international style of the day. However, today he is recognized as one of the great architects of the 20th century.

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