John M. Johansen - Works

Works

Some other noteworthy houses include the Bridge House (1957); the Telephone Pole House (1968) made from 104 40 foot poles that brace the house into the side of a steep ravine; The Labyrinth House (1966) that has no windows but instead glass enclosures between one wall and another; and the Plastic Tent House (1975) was made of translucent plastic.

He was also known for his modern commercial buildings. The Morris A. Mechanic Theatre in Baltimore (1967) is characterized as “a highly sculptural centerpiece among more reserved office buildings.” It was the beginning of a series of buildings that stressed and embraced the functional parts of the buildings, allowing them to emerge, while being increasingly identified and emphasized. The Robert H. Goddard Library is one of Johansen’s experiments once again. He said that while creating this structure, “I moved toward a more articulated design by emphasizing the distinction between the ponderous structural frame and other elements that appear to be less firmly attached conceivably detachable or interchangeable parts."

Among his best known buildings are the Goddard Library at Clark University (1969), and the Mummers Theater in Oklahoma City (1970), an aggregation of fragmented units connected by walkways and tubes, which received an AIA award in 1972.

The Mechanic Theater is currently under threat. Unused since 2004 and now deemed unsuitable for a theater, it has been considered for landmark status and adaptive reuse, while its owners have proposed to redevelop the site with residential and retail development. Celebrated by some and criticized by others for its brutalist architecture, the building was listed first on VirtualTourist's 2009 list of the "World's Top Ten Ugliest Buildings". As of 2012, the Mummers Theater (more recently called Stage Center) in Oklahoma City was also reported to be in jeopardy, after years of maintenance costs and a June 2010 flood led to its closure and consideration of alternative uses or demolition.