Gerhard Michael Kallmann, the architect who won the competition to design Boston City Hall in 1962, died on Tuesday morning at his Cambridge, Mass., home. He was 97.
Kallmann, a founding partner of Kallmann McKinnell & Wood Architects, contributed to the practice and theory of architecture through his design and writing. Early contributions to Architectural Review and Architectural Forum served to highlight new architectural trends and movements, including the New Brutalism.
First established as Kallmann McKinnell & Knowles, Kallmann’s firm emerged as a response to the solicitation from the City of Boston to design its new civic house as well as City Hall Plaza. The competition and subsequent award gave Kallmann an opportunity to translate theory into practice—and to build an icon, one of the most recognizable buildings in Boston.
Kallmann continued to design other significant buildings, including the House of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (where he was a fellow). He also continued his involvement with theory through his teaching at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Architecture.
