Evans Woollen III (August 10, 1927 – May 17, 2016) was an American architect who is credited for introducing the Modern and the Brutalist architecture styles to his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Woollen, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) and a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture, was active in the field from the mid-1950s to the early 2000s.
In addition, Woollen and his firm planned and managed the renovation of several of the city's historic structures, including the Indiana Theatre, the Majestic Building, and Indianapolis Union Station, among others.
[12] In 1955, at the age of twenty-seven, Woollen returned to his hometown of Indianapolis to establish his architecture firm, which remained in business for more than fifty-five years.
Woollen initially specialized in modern residential designs, but his work soon expanded to include commercial and urban-design projects[13] before he retired in the early 2000s.
[15] Between 1962 and 1976, Woollen was commissioned to design some of his best-known works, many of which serve as examples of Modernism and Brutalism architectural styles.
[6][13] Fesler Hall, Woollen's first civic commission, was a freestanding wing addition at the John Herron Art Institute.
[10] The success of this major project, which a reporter for The New York Times Magazine called "cool, dignified, and quietly dramatic,"[17] led to Woollen securing other significant commissions in Indianapolis.
Another of Woollen's major projects in the 1960s was Barton Tower, the first high-rise apartment building in Indianapolis that provided low-cost housing for senior citizens.
The Modernist-style Marian University library (1966) in Indianapolis, Indiana, had a square form with an exposed structural frame and open staircase with stacks arranged around reading areas.
Saint Thomas Aquinas Church was the recipient of an Indiana Society of Architects award for its bold, geometric design.
Saint Andrew's polygonal plan has a controversial asymmetrical exterior and striking modern sanctuary of exposed steel, concrete walls, and an upward-sloping ceiling.
"[19][22] Built to fill in the east side of the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza, the block-long, six-story structure is raised 24 feet (7.3 m) above grade on large columns.
The concrete building is known for its distinctive, horizontal façade that tilts outward as the square footage of each upper floor increases.
[24] The IU project, another example of Woollen's interpretation of the Brutalist style, includes work and storage spaces arranged around a cylindrical, 1,500-seat opera house.
[7] Woollen was well known for his Modern and Brutalism designs, but he also loved older historical styles and was interested in preserving notable buildings.
Woollen and his firm completed several historic preservation projects, including churches, apartment and commercial buildings, and theatres.
Notable examples include restoration of the Indiana Theatre (1982), the main shed of Union Station (1986), and the Majestic Building (1984–91) in downtown Indianapolis.
[10][13] In addition to preservation work in Indianapolis, Woollen was involved in the redevelopment of the Over-the-Rhine historic neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The planned $100 million project also included a new, six-story curved glass-and-steel structure that connected to the Cret building through an expansive atrium.
"[11] Woollen, who is credited for introducing the Modernist and the Brutalist architecture styles to Indianapolis, became known for his use of bold materials and creative solutions to design issues.
[30] In an active career that spanned from the mid-1950s to the early 2000s, Woollen is noted for his innovative and sophisticated designs that blended with the structure's setting and its history.
[32] These major works, among others, serve as a testament to his "adventurous sense of architectural form" and "respect for its visual and community context.