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"Quotable" Architecture Trivia Quiz

This quiz features quotes - some well known and some less known -- from (primarily) 20th century architects. Can you match them all?

A multiple-choice quiz by rebekb. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
rebekb

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
295,397

Updated
Nov 26 23

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1455

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 202 (4/10), Guest 172 (2/10), sw11 (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. "A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous." What architect of the tall said this? Hint

Le Corbusier

Cass Gilbert

Walter Gropius

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. "The architect should strive continually to simplify; the ensemble of the rooms should then be carefully considered, that comfort and utility may go hand in hand with beauty." What "organic" architect said this? Hint

Louis Sullivan

Antoni Gaudi

Frank Lloyd Wright

Gustav Stickley

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. "Architecture is the art of how to waste space." This is a quote from what no-nonsense modernist? Hint

Philip Johnson

Le Corbusier

Alvar Aalto

Jacobus Oud

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Question 4 of 10

4. "Whenever I draw a circle, I immediately want to step out of it." This statement is rather ironic, considering the source... Hint

R. Buckminster Fuller

Bertrand Goldberg

Frank Gehry

Frank Lloyd Wright

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Question 5 of 10

5. "Never turn down a job because you think it's too small; you don't know where it can lead." Said by what important woman architect? Hint

Zaha Hadid

Julia Morgan

Susana Torre

Denise Scott Brown

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Question 6 of 10

6. "Form ever follows function." It's a famous quote, but who said it? Hint

Daniel Burnham

William LeBaron Jenney

Dankmar Adler

Louis Sullivan

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Question 7 of 10

7. "First, there is the bare beauty of the logs themselves with their long lines and firm curves. Then there is the open charm felt of the structural features which are not hidden under plaster and ornament, but are clearly revealed, a charm felt in Japanese architecture." Who was the wood-loving architect?
Hint

Gustav Stickley

Frank Lloyd Wright

Harvey Ellis

Bruce Goff

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. "I think white is the most wonderful color of all, because within it one can find every color of the rainbow." Who is the colorful, still-living architect of this quote?
Hint

Michael Graves

Charles Gwathmey

John Hejduk

Richard Meier

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Question 9 of 10

9. "Less is a bore." Who said this in response to Mies van der Rohe's famous dictum, "less is more"? Hint

Robert A.M. Stern

Robert Venturi

Peter Eisenman

Charles Willard Moore

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Question 10 of 10

10. "A hundred times have I thought New York is a catastrophe and fifty times: It is a beautiful catastrophe." Who said this about the city that never sleeps? Hint

Walter Gropius

Pierre Jeanneret

Peter Behrens

Le Corbusier

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Most Recent Scores

Oct 30 2024 : Guest 202: 4/10
Oct 06 2024 : Guest 172: 2/10
Sep 20 2024 : sw11: 10/10
Sep 15 2024 : 1995Tarpon: 10/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous." What architect of the tall said this?

Answer: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) was a German-American master of modern architecture, known for his connections to both the Bauhaus School and International Style. The Seagram building in New York and IBM Plaza in Chicago are examples of the steel-and-glass "skin and bones" skyscrapers he pioneered.

This quote appeared in Time Magazine, Feb. 18, 1957.
Quote source: http://architecture.about.com/library/bl-mies-quotes.htm

Answer: Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was a leader of the Prairie School of architecture and advocated an "organic" style, typified by the Fallingwater house in Pennsylvania and the Guggenheim in New York.

Quote source: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/f/frank_lloyd_wright.html

3. "Architecture is the art of how to waste space." This is a quote from what no-nonsense modernist?

Answer: Philip Johnson

Philip Johnson (1906-2005) was one of the most influential (and long-lived!) architects of the 20th century. The Glass House, the Boston Public Library (extension), and the New York State Theater are some of his best known works.

Quote source: http://thinkexist.com/quotes/philip_johnson/

4. "Whenever I draw a circle, I immediately want to step out of it." This statement is rather ironic, considering the source...

Answer: R. Buckminster Fuller

R. Buckminster Fuller, also known as "Bucky" (1895-1983) is best known in architectural circles for his geodesic domes. A visionary designer and philosopher who wrote many books, he never finished college.

Quote source: http://architecture.about.com/od/greatarchitects/p/fuller.htm

5. "Never turn down a job because you think it's too small; you don't know where it can lead." Said by what important woman architect?

Answer: Julia Morgan

Julia Morgan (1872-1957), a highly regarded American architect, is best known for Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. She was the first woman to graduate from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris with a degree in architecture.

Quote source: http://architecture.about.com/od/greatarchitects/p/juliamorgan.htm

6. "Form ever follows function." It's a famous quote, but who said it?

Answer: Louis Sullivan

Louis Sullivan (1856-1924) was a member of the Chicago School and one of the "fathers" of the skyscraper. He was also a mentor for Frank Lloyd Wright. One of his best known buildings is the Guaranty Building in Buffalo, New York.

This quote is usually misquoted, as "form follows function."
Quote source: http://www.digital-web.com/articles/form_vs_function/

Answer: Gustav Stickley

Gustav Stickley (1848-1942), a leader of the American Craftsman style, may be better known now for his furniture (such as the Morris Chair), but was also an architect of note.

Quote source: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/gustav_stickley.html

8. "I think white is the most wonderful color of all, because within it one can find every color of the rainbow." Who is the colorful, still-living architect of this quote?

Answer: Richard Meier

Richard Meier (1934- ) is known for his "rationalist" designs, and is particularly fond of the color white, as exemplified by the Getty Center in Los Angeles.

Quote source: http://architecture.about.com/od/architectsaz/p/meier.htm

9. "Less is a bore." Who said this in response to Mies van der Rohe's famous dictum, "less is more"?

Answer: Robert Venturi

Robert Venturi (1925-2018 ) was considered by many (if not himself) to be a true "post-modern" architect. His buildings include the Seattle Art Museum and the Dumbarton Oaks Library at Harvard, as well as his mom's house!

Quote source: http://www.pritzkerprize.com/venturi.htm

10. "A hundred times have I thought New York is a catastrophe and fifty times: It is a beautiful catastrophe." Who said this about the city that never sleeps?

Answer: Le Corbusier

Originally named Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, he was known to the world as Le Corbusier (1887-1965), a Swiss-born architect, writer, painter and designer. His book "Vers une Architecture" was a cornerstone of the modern architecture and urban planning movement.

Quote source: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/le_corbusier.html

Source: Author rebekb

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