“Reassessing Paul Rudolph: Architecture and Reputation,” a two-day symposium hosted by Yale School of Architecture, January 23–24, will gather an international roster of scholars, critics and architects under the roof of newly renovated Paul Rudolph Hall, 180 York St., to take a fresh look at the life and legacy of its renowned designer.The discussion about Rudolph’s work will continue on January 29 with this year’s Gordon H. Smith Colloquium, devoted to a discussion of the ambitious and acclaimed restoration of Rudolph’s celebrated landmark. Charles Gwathmey, the project’s architect, will lead Elizabeth Skowronek , Robert Leiter, Patrick Bellew and Arthur Hyde in the discussion, which takes place in Hastings Hall (basement of Rudolph Hall) at 6:30 p.m.

Paul Rudolph (1918–1997) was one of the foremost architects and teachers of the 1950s and 1960s. To a remarkable extent, Rudolph’s reputation rose and fell along with the fortunes of postwar modernism in America, say the event organizers. In the 1970s and 1980s, he became increasingly marginalized because of the dramatic shift in cultural values that followed the Vietnam War, the organizers note.

Timed to coincide with the School of Architecture’s current exhibition, “Model City: Buildings and Projects by Paul Rudolph for Yale and New Haven,” this symposium was convened by the exhibition’s curator, Timothy M. Rohan, to reconsider Rudolph’s architecture and the discipline’s assessment of his contributions. The schedule of events follows:

January 23:

1:30 p.m.
Presentations by
Kazi K. Ashraf, Robert
Bruegmann, Sandy Isenstadt,
Kathleen James-Chakraborty,
Pat Kirkham, Réjean
Legault, Ken Tadashi
Oshima, Hilary Sample6:30 p.m.
Keynote Address
Paul Rudolph Lecture
Adrian Forty
University College, London
“Matter Immaterial: the paradox of concrete architecture”

January 24:

9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Presentations by
Hilary Ballon, Lizabeth
Cohen, Sam Jacob, Sylvia
Lavin, Louis Martin, Eric
Mumford, Dietrich Neumann,
Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen,
Emmanuel Petit, Alan
Plattus, Timothy M. Rohan,
Joel Sanders, Lawrence
Scarpa, George Wagner,
Marion Weiss,
Carter Wiseman“Reassessing Rudolph” is supported in part by the generosity of the President of Yale University, Richard C. Levin, and by the Paul Rudolph Lectureship Fund.

Events are all free and open to the public, but owing to space considerations reservations must be made in advance for the January 23-24 symposium. For details, call Robie-Lyn Harnois at 203-432-8621.