Immigrant Architect: Rafael Guastavino and the American D...
de Miguel, Berta / Diebolt, Kent / Lorente, Virginia
Rafael Guastavino Sr. was 39 when he left a successful career as an architect in Barcelona. American cities-densely packed and built largely of wood-were experiencing horrific fires, and Guastavino had the solution: The soaring interior spaces created by his tiled vaults and domes made buildings sturdier, fireproof, and beautiful. What he didn't have was fluent English. Unable to win design commissions, he transferred control of the company to...
