Graves, Michael (1934-2015), an American architect, was a leader of the movement in architecture known as Postmodernism. Postmodern architects feature elements from earlier architectural styles in their designs. For example, in Graves’s 1977 design for the Fargo-Moorhead (North Dakota-Minnesota) Cultural Center, he used bold geometric forms that recalled classical arches. The references to classical architecture increased in Graves’s work, leading to his design for the Portland Building (1982) in Portland, Oregon. This was the first major application of Postmodern historic references in an important public building.
In his design for the San Juan Capistrano, California, Public Library (1984), Graves incorporated subtle references to Spanish and mission architecture. Later projects included the Humana Building (1985) in Louisville, Kentucky. He designed buildings for Disney, including hotels at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida, and, in 1992, at the Disneyland Paris Theme Park (now Disneyland Resort Paris) near Paris. Graves also designed the renovation and expansion of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (2006). Graves was born on July 9, 1934, in Indianapolis. He died on March 12, 2015.
