{"id":202766,"date":"2022-11-04T10:06:22","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T14:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_project&p=202766"},"modified":"2022-11-07T09:39:42","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T14:39:42","slug":"harry-bates-modernist-architect-dies","status":"publish","type":"id_news","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/designwire\/harry-bates-modernist-architect-dies\/","title":{"rendered":"Harry Bates, Modernist Architect and Interior Design Hall of Famer, Dies at 95"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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November 4, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Carlene Olsen<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Harry Bates, Modernist Architect and Interior Design Hall of Famer, Dies at 95<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

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From the dunes of Fire Island to bucolic drives through the Hamptons, architect Harry Bates, who passed away this week at the age of 95, left an indelible mark on Long Island. Known for his modernist houses made from local materials, Bates started out in the field by designing summer escapes for New York advertising executives in the 1960s and ’70s. He later joined forces with design partner, Paul Masi\u201445 years his junior\u2014and together they continued to shape the area’s architecture with their warm minimalist style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He was a rock star architect for midcentury summer getaways that are still dotted around the Hamptons,” shares Interior Design<\/em> editor in chief Cindy Allen. Recalling her experience filming a documentary with Bates following his 2013 induction into the magazine’s Hall of Fame<\/a>, Allen adds: “It was surreal to be walking through these modern treasures with the master himself, captivated by all his delightful stories of the many ad execs he designed for (think Madmen!).” <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Harry Bates. Photography courtesy of Bates Masi + Architects.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Though Bates passed away in Fernandina Beach, Florida, where he most recently lived, he built his life and career in the northeast. The first home he designed, made from rough cut Redwood “fresh off the tree,” as he once told Allen, solidified his approach to utilizing materials that reflected the native landscape, blending in while standing out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But his career in architecture came about rather serendipitously. Born in 1927 in Lake City, Florida, Bates, whose father was a doctor, attended medical school only to realize that it wasn’t the right fit. A family friend suggested he become an architect, sealing his fate. After receiving a Bachelor of Architecture from North Carolina State University College of Design, he went on to work with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and then opened a private practice in New York City, which he relocated to Southampton in 1980. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Take a look at <\/em>Interior Design‘s Hall of Fame documentary featuring Harry Bates below.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n