Vlastimil Koubek

Vlastimil Koubek
Born(1927-03-17)March 17, 1927[1]
Brno, Czechoslovakia
DiedFebruary 15, 2003(2003-02-15) (aged 75)
Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
CitizenshipUnited States
OccupationArchitect
AwardsTucker Award of Excellence (1988)[2]
Award of Excellence, Washington Chapter, AIA (1988)[3]
PracticeKoubek Architects
BuildingsWillard InterContinental Washington Annex and Office Building, L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, Franklin Tower
ProjectsRosslyn, Virginia;
Washington Harbor;
Camden Yards Sports Complex

Vlastimil Koubek (March 17, 1927 – February 15, 2003) was an American architect who designed more than 100 buildings, most of them in the Washington metropolitan area, and whose total value topped $2 billion.[4] Most of his work is Modernist in style,[4] although he developed a few structures in other vernaculars. He created the site plan for the redevelopment of Rosslyn, Virginia, and his Ames Center anchored the area's economic recovery. He designed the World Building in Silver Spring, Maryland, which sparked redevelopment of that town's downtown; and the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C. In 1985, Washingtonian magazine called him one of 20 people "who in the past 20 years had the greatest impact on the way we live and who forever altered the look of Washington."[5][6] In 1988, The Washington Post newspaper said his Willard Hotel renovation was one of 28 projects in the area that made a signal contribution to the "feel" and look of Washington, D.C.[7]

  1. ^ Willmann, John B. "It's Happening In Real Estate." The Washington Post. March 22, 1969.
  2. ^ "Owner Turns Up His Nose at Prospect Of Tearing Down Odor-Tainted House." The Washington Post. June 11, 1988.
  3. ^ "D.C. Area Ranks 4th in Office Space." The Washington Post. October 29, 1988; Forgey, Benjamin. "Looking Over Local Heroes." The Washington Post. November 5, 1988.
  4. ^ a b Gunts, Edward. "Designer Believed: Koubek's Vision Brought Tower to Inner Harbor." Baltimore Sun. February 24, 2003.
  5. ^ "Architect Vlastimil Koubek Dies at 75." The Washington Post. February 18, 2003.
  6. ^ Conconi, Chuck. "Personalities." The Washington Post. September 25, 1985.
  7. ^ Lewis, Roger K. "Critics Pick 28 Projects That Contribute to Area's 'Built Environment'." The Washington Post. March 12, 1988.