Casson, Sir Hugh (1910-1999), was one of the United Kingdom’s leading architects and designers. Casson was the director of architecture for the 1951 Festival of Britain. Under his leadership, about 40 architects worked to produce the exhibition. He himself designed the 1851 Centenary Pavilion. Other designs by Casson include the Arts Faculty Buildings (1952) at Cambridge University, halls of residence at Birmingham University (1958), the Elephant House at the London Zoo (1962-1965), and the District Bank building (1966-1969) in Manchester. He also designed interiors for office buildings, ships, and Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. In addition, Casson designed sets for operas.
Hugh Maxwell Casson was born on May 23, 1910, in London. He was educated at St. John’s College, Cambridge University. During World War II (1939-1945), Casson served as a camouflage officer for the Air Ministry. Then, he worked in town and country planning. Casson was knighted in 1952 for his services to architecture. From 1953 to 1975, he was professor of environmental design at the Royal College of Art. He served as president of the Royal Academy from 1976 to 1984. Casson’s books include Homes by the Million: An Account of the Housing Achievement in the USA, 1940-1945 (1947), An Introduction to Victorian Architecture (1948), and Inscape: The Design of Interiors (1968). Casson died on Aug. 15, 1999.
