Renowned Gay Architect Dead

The force behind the 'International Style' of modern architecture dead at 98:

Openly gay architect Philip Johnson, whose austere 'glass box' buildings and latter-day more whimsical designs made him one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, has died at 98 in his New Canaan, Conn. home. He leaves behind his longtime lover of 45 years, David Whitney.

Johnson was one of architecture's most recognizable figures, with his trademark black, round-rimmed glasses that gave him a distinctive, owlish look.

Johnson's work, which spanned more than half a century, included one of San Francisco's most beautiful structures, 101 California Street. He was the major force behind the 'International Style' of modern architecture, epitomized by his design (along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe) of the Seagram building in New York City. Yet, his influence became just as much post-modern and beyond.

With his business partner, John Burgee, Johnson also designed the AT&T building in New York City (now the Sony building); the Bank of America building in Houston, a 56-story tower of pink granite stepped back in a series of Dutch gable roofs; and the Cleveland Playhouse, a complex with the look and feel of an 11th-century town.

Despite Johnson's early dabblings in right-wing philosophy and politics, his later years were marked by great philanthropic endeavors (especially associated with the Museum of Modern Art in New York City) and support of many progressive causes.

Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger pronounced him "the greatest architectural presence of our time. . .There's no question that he used his fame for the betterment of architecture. ."

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