Peter van Dijk (February 13, 1929 – September 7, 2019) was an American architect who designed many buildings in Ohio, including the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls.
When World War II started, the family stayed in Latin America, and sent van Dijk and his brother to Curaçao for boarding school, where he spent eighth and ninth grades.
[1][5][6][7][8][4] In 1961, following Saarinen's unexpected death at age 51, van Dijk moved to Cleveland to oversee the design of the 32-story Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building, which was completed in 1966.
[1][5][3][8] Blossom Music Center, the outdoor amphitheater that is the summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra, is van Djik's most best known design, the accomplishment typically noted when a headline summarizes his life, and his "masterpiece" according to an architecture website.
The team developed an orchestra shell and a curving roof, to expand and project sound, assisted by the site's natural parabolic setting.
Blossom's design allows concertgoers in the pavilion to have unobstructed and close views of the stage, while seeing the area's natural beauty through open sides.
Blossom was recently described by a local writer as "the place you take out-of-town guests in the summertime if you want to blow their socks off" and "one of the most desirable outdoor performance destinations in America.
Other notable structures that van Dijk renovated or repurposed include the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank, the Society for Savings Building, M.K.
[7] van Dijk is widely recognized as having shaped the northeast Ohio region over more than 50 years of work there, by designing or preserving a significant number of its landmark structures.
[2][5][11][13] A 2016 award citation wrote that his "innovative designs continue to enhance the aesthetics, environment, and quality of life of Northeast Ohio and other cities.
In November 2011, the Cleveland Institute of Art, on whose board of directors van Dijk had served for two stints and a total of 31 years, gave him its Medal for Excellence.