Before I.M. Pei was world famous, he designed buildings in Central New York

This article was originally published on www.localsyr.com on May 17, 2019 by Andrew Donovan. Read the full article HERE.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) – As the world mourns the loss of iconic architect I.M. Pei, the Syracuse community is remembering the work he left behind here.

Before he designed some of the most famous buildings on the planet, like the Louvre Museum in Paris and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, Pei’s earliest professional creations were in Central New York:

August 5, 1964: Newhouse School of Public Communications (now Newhouse 1), Syracuse University
October 25, 1968: Everson Museum, Downtown Syracuse
May 23, 1973: Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca

After Pei debuted what is now Newhouse 1, of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, he was commissioned to build a second building just down the road – his first museum, what we become the Everson Museum.

Pei returned to the Everson in 2000, when the museum planned an expansion that never happened.

People that stayed in touch with Pei say it remained one of his favorites the rest of his life.