"Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture paints a portrait of an important icon of modern architecture. But it also relates a story of tenacity, focus, and making the most of opportunity; of navigating complex political climates; of being a caring steward of nature and community; of being a good partner; of living a full life; of being a trailblazer."—Joan Soranno, from the Foreword

"At last, the book on Minnesota architecture we've been waiting for! Jane King Hession masterfully tells the story of Elizabeth Close's formative years in early twentieth-century Vienna and her groundbreaking career as a Minnesota architect. In doing so, she also throws light on a little-known era: the first steps of modernism in Minnesota."—Linda Mack, former architecture critic, Minneapolis Star Tribune

 

"Professional biographies are not always easy to write and sometimes harder to read. Jane King Hession succeeds with her new book, Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture, and readers are rewarded with a well-told, engaging story about a 60-year career personifying innovation nested at a pivotal point in time."—New York-Pennsylvania Collector

"One of the few women working as architects in mid-century America, she inspired hundreds of women who followed her into the profession."—Minnesota Alumni Magazine

"In the richly illustrated book, Hession traces the life of the groundbreaking architect from her childhood in Vienna in an architecturally significant home to her education at MIT and her seminal influence on modernism in Minnesota over a six-decade career."—Enter

"For a look at the life and work of another famous Minnesotan, pick up a copy of the beautifully produced coffee table book Elisabeth Scheu Close by Jane King Hession"—Minnesota Alumni Magazine

"Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture paints a portrait of an important icon of modern architecture. But it also relates a story of tenacity, focus, and making the most of opportunity; of navigating complex political climates; of being a caring steward of nature and community; of being a good partner; of living a full life; of being a trailblazer."—Joan Soranno, from the Foreword

"At last, the book on Minnesota architecture we've been waiting for! Jane King Hession masterfully tells the story of Elizabeth Close's formative years in early twentieth-century Vienna and her groundbreaking career as a Minnesota architect. In doing so, she also throws light on a little-known era: the first steps of modernism in Minnesota."—Linda Mack, former architecture critic, Minneapolis Star Tribune

 

"Professional biographies are not always easy to write and sometimes harder to read. Jane King Hession succeeds with her new book, Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture, and readers are rewarded with a well-told, engaging story about a 60-year career personifying innovation nested at a pivotal point in time."—New York-Pennsylvania Collector

"One of the few women working as architects in mid-century America, she inspired hundreds of women who followed her into the profession."—Minnesota Alumni Magazine

"In the richly illustrated book, Hession traces the life of the groundbreaking architect from her childhood in Vienna in an architecturally significant home to her education at MIT and her seminal influence on modernism in Minnesota over a six-decade career."—Enter

"For a look at the life and work of another famous Minnesotan, pick up a copy of the beautifully produced coffee table book Elisabeth Scheu Close by Jane King Hession"—Minnesota Alumni Magazine

Jane King Hession is a Minnesota-based architectural historian specializing in modernism. She is a founding partner of Modern House Productions and coauthor of John Howe, Architect: From Taliesin Apprentice to Master of Organic Design (Minnesota, 2014), Ralph Rapson: Sixty Years of Modern Design, and Frank Lloyd Wright in New York: The Plaza Years, 1954–1959.

Joan Soranno is design principal with HGA in Minneapolis. Her award-winning projects of cultural and religious architecture include Lakewood Cemetery Garden Mausoleum, the entry pavilion for the Walker Art Center, and Bigelow Chapel at the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.