[1] Pokorny was born on May 25, 1914, in Brno, then part of Austria-Hungary (now the Czech Republic), and was raised in Prague.
His father, Jaroslav Pokorny, was an electrical engineer who served as assistant general director of the Skoda Works.
[2] Pokorny founded an architectural firm in New York City that specialized in the restoration and adaptation of historic structures for new uses.
[2][6] During his tenure, he was involved in initiatives to preserve cultural artifacts, including arranging a new setting for a statue of the composer Antonin Dvorak in Stuyvesant Square Park.
[6] Pokorny's work included the restoration and modernization of several historic buildings, such as Lewisohn Hall at Columbia University, the Schermerhorn Row Block at South Street Seaport, the Brooklyn Historical Society building, the National Lighthouse Museum on Staten Island, and the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan.