Edward Durell Stone

Edward Durell Stone (1902-1978), American architect, born in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He organized his own architectural firm in 1936 and subsequently designed several important buildings, among them the Museum of Modern Art (1937) in New York City. During World War II (1939-1945) he served as the chief of planning and design for the United States Army. From 1946 to 1951 Stone taught at Yale University.

Stone was initially influenced by the austere International Style in architecture, which emphasized function in design. He later became interested in screen facades and a decorative, elaborately ornamental version of contemporary architecture; the outstanding example of his late style is the American embassy (1954-1958) in New Delhi, India. Stone also designed the U.S. pavilion at the Brussels Universal and International Exposition (1958), the ornate 2 Columbus Circle (originally called the Gallery of Modern Art, 1964) in New York City, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (1964-1969) in Washington, D.C.