Emil Lorch: Pure Design and American Architectural Education.

Emil Lorch was a leading American architectural educator of the early twentieth century. Active in many national organizations, he also chaired the Department of Architecture at the University of Michigan from 1906 to 1937 and was a founding member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. Lorch championed new methods in architectural education — specifically, the Theory of Pure Design. With its emphasis on abstracted exercises rather than drilling in the historical styles, Lorch believed it would free students to develop a truly modern American architecture. This article traces Lorch's advocacy of Pure Design in his early career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]