Eduard Sekler

The Eduard Sekler Archive documents the work of an internationally influential architect, historian, and urban planner.

Sekler combined theoretical research with practical architectural education and shaped generations of students and professionals. His holdings include documents relating to teaching, publications, projects, and lectures, and provide insight into his work at the interface between architectural history, historic preservation, and urban planning.

Holdings

Working Documents and Manuscripts
Lecture and Teaching Materials
Project and Planning Documents
Publications and Correspondence
Images and Photographs

Biography

• Born 30.09.1920 in Vienna
• 1938 Graduated from the Schottengymnasium in Vienna
• 1941–1945 Studied architecture at the TH Wien (Technical University of Vienna)
• 1945–1954 Assistant at the Chair of Architectural History and Building Surveying under Karl Holey
• 1946/47 Special course in reconstruction and urban planning at the School of Planning and Regional Research in London (British Council scholarship)
• 1947/48 Studied art history at the Warburg Institute in London
• 1948 Received a PhD in art history with a dissertation on the development of the staircase in British architecture
• From 1945 on Own architectural practice
• From 1951 on UNESCO Consultant for Historic Preservation, including in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
• From 1954 on Visiting professorship at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA (full professor from 1960 on)
• 1962–1965 Lecturer at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
• 1966–1976 Director of the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
• 1968 Member of the American Society of Arts and Sciences
• 1990–1996 Chairman of the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust

Awards

• 1970 Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class
• 1988 Honorary Doctorate from the ETH Zurich
• 1990 Jean Tschumi Prize
• 1995 Golden Medal of Honour for Services to the City of Vienna
• 2005 Austrian Decoration for Science and Art
• 2012 Honorary Member of the Vienna Secession