Architect and designer, born in the Caucasus. Educated in England, he took up journalism, then became a director of Waring & Gillow (1928), for which he established a Modern Art Studio. His early design work was for interiors, including studios for Broadcasting House, London (1931). In 1940 he emigrated to the USA where, in addition to his architectural work, he taught design and architecture. He held professorships at Harvard (195262) and Yale (19629).
Serge Ivan Chermayeff (October 8, 1900 – May 8, 1996) was a Chechen born, British architect, writer, and co-founder of several architectural societies, including the American Society of Planners and Architects. By 1930, he and the German architect Erich Mendelsohn briefly partnered to form their own architectural firm. In 1940, Chermayeff emigrated to the United States where he would continue his architectural career and would take up teaching at several universities. He stepped down in 1951 when the institute merged with the Illinois Institute of Technology. He wrote several books, including Community and Privacy with Christopher Alexander in 1964 and The Shape of Community with Alexander Tzonis in 1971. Chermayeff's architectural drawings, project records, photographs, correspondence, teaching and writing papers, and research files are held by the Drawings and Archives Department of Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University.
Online sources
Art Institute of Chicago
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