| 1 | Name: | Mr. I. M. Pei | |
| Institution: | I. M. Pei Architect | ||
| Year Elected: | 1981 | ||
| Class: | 5. The Arts, Professions, and Leaders in Public & Private Affairs | ||
| Subdivision: | 502. Physicians, Theologians, Lawyers, Jurists, Architects, and Members of Other Professions | ||
| Residency: | Resident | ||
| Living? : | Deceased | ||
| Birth Date: | 1917 | ||
| Death Date: | May 16, 2019 | ||
Ieoh Ming Pei was born in China in 1917. He came to the U.S. in 1935 to study architecture at M.I.T. (B. Arch., 1940) and the Harvard Graduate School of Design (M. Arch., 1946). In 1948, he became Director of Architecture at Webb & Knapp, Inc., a real estate development firm. This association resulted in major architectural and planning projects in Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, and other cities. In 1958, he formed I.M. Pei & Associates, which evolved to I.M. Pei & Partners, and later to Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. After 1996 he was an independent architect. Mr. Pei designed well over 50 projects around the world. The impressive list includes the East Wing, National Gallery of Art; the Pyramide du Louvre, Paris; Bank of China, Hong Kong; National Center for Atmospheric Research, Colorado; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland; Javits Convention Center, New York; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse; Christian Science Center, Boston; J.F.K. Library, Boston; Dallas City Hall; Morton Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas; Fragrant Hill Hotel, Beijing; and Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation Center, Singapore. Mr. Pei was awarded the American Philosophical Society's 2001 Thomas Jefferson Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences, the award citation for which reads, "In recognition of his distinguished accomplishments as a seminal, creative architect; his fulfillment in the contemporary world of Vitruvius' injunction to combine in one's work utilitas, firmitas, venustas; and the elegant, spiritual, uplifting genius embodied in his buildings across the globe." Additionally, he was awarded the Royal Gold Medal in 2010 from the Royal Institute of British Architects in London and the 2016 Asia Game Changer Lifetime Achievement Award. I.M. Pei was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1981. On May 16, 2019 he died in Manhattan at the age of 102. | |||