I.M. PEI

U.S. Name: I.M. Pei
Birth Name: Ieoh Ming Pei
Born: April 26, 1917, Guangzhou, China
Died: May 16, 2019, New York City
Place & Date of Immigration: Entered the US through Angel Island and then traveled by train to Philadelphia in 1935
Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B. Arch 1940), Harvard Graduate School of Design (M. Arch 1946)
Occupation: Architect and Designer
Citizenship Date: 1954

I.M. PEI

BIOGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHY: Born in China, he immigrated to the U.S. to study at MIT and Harvard in 1935. He designed iconic structures like the Louvre Pyramid in Paris and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. His firm often designed buildings of American cultural importance including the East Wing of the National Art Gallery, the JFK Presidential Library, and more. Pei blended tradition with innovation, using light and space to create harmony. His work and influence shaped both skylines and cultural conversations.

Louvre Pyramid, Paris, France

I.M. PEI

ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Designed the JFK Presidential Library in Boston, MA (1964)
  • Designed Texas Commerce Tower in Houston, TX (1980)
  • Designed the Glass Pyramid of the Louvre in Paris, France (1983)
  • Designed the East Wing of the National Art Gallery (1983)
  • Co-founded the Committee of 100, which promotes Chinese-American participation in all aspects of American life (1989)
  • Designed the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, TX (1989)
  • Designed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH (1995)
I.M. PEI

AWARDS & HONORS

  • Brunner Prize in Architecture from the National Institute of Art and Letters (1961)
  • Medal of Honor of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (1963)
  • Thomas Jefferson Memorial Medal for Architecture (1976)
  • Gold Medal for Architecture of the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1979)
  • Gold Medal of The American Institute of Architects (1979)
  • Gold Medal of the French Académie d‘Architecture (1981)
  • Pritzker Prize (considered the “Nobel Prize” of architecture) (1983)
  • Praemium Imperiale (1989)
  • Presidential Medal of Freedom (1993)
  • Officer in the French Legion of Honor (1993)

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Boston, Mass.

Information sources: Britannica, Pritzker Prize, Committee of 100

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