GEORGE DAUB

I first discovered George Daub’s architecture while doing research for my architectural thesis during my final year of architecture school. At that time, I photographed many of his Long Beach Island houses. I should say that I had admired his houses many years before that. I just didn’t know that he had designed them.

George Daub (1901-1966) is an intriguing architect who deserves much more attention than he gets. He practiced at a pivotal time in architectural history, contributing to the American adaptation of The International Style of Modern Architecture as it moved from its birthplace in Europe to the United States in the late 1920’s via emigres, mostly from Germany. Names like Mies Van De Rohe, Richard Neutra, and Walter Gropius, introduced this new architectural language to American architects who were also developing their own type of modern architecture.

Enter Philip Johnson. Philip Johnson was an American architect who played a significant role in the development of modern architecture in the United States. Most know Johnson by his iconic “Glass House”. He was known to find himself in just the right places at just the right times. He was 99 years old when he passed away in 2005. The art historian and critic Henry Hitchcock and Johnson curated the landmark International Style Exhibition of 1932 by New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The aim of Hitchcock and Johnson was to define a style that would encapsulate this form of modern architecture. They did this by the inclusion of specific architects. Amongst those architects was George Daub. Johnson later generously helped develop Daub’s career by recommending him for numerous commissions including a house for Johnson’s sister.

George Daub was a Northeast Philadelphia native. His formal architectural education began at Drexel Institute’s Evening Architectural School and was completed, on scholarship, at Harvard University. After graduation he returned to his home town and worked in numerous Philadelphia architectural firms before launching his own practice.