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Biographical Summary
Gordon Lee Wildermuth was born in 1937 in Lima, Ohio on a farm. Living close to the land as a youth is a way of life that has had a life-long influence on him. In 1961 Gordon graduated from the University of Cincinnati where he studied architecture after which he served with the Special Forces of the United States Army until 1962. Through luck and circumstances Wildermuth was hired as a designer in 1963 by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; after four years he advanced to project manager, a position for which he felt he was better suited. His first assignment as a project manager was in South America, the first of many international jobs. Gordon's international work is located in places as diverse as the U.K., Saudi Arabia, and Hong Kong. He takes great pride in his work in Saudi Arabia: the Haj Terminal, King Abdul Aziz Airport and the National Commercial Bank, both in Jeddah, and both award-winning projects. He retired in 1988 only to be called back by SOM in 1990 to reorganize the Chicago office. Gordon was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 1985. In 1993 he retired for the second and last time, and now divides his time between his farm in Pennsylvania, Chicago, Germany and traveling to far-flung places in the world.
National Commercial Bank, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 1983
Photo by Wolfgang Hoyt
Copyright, Wolfgang Hoyt/Esto; Courtesy, Esto
Interview Highlights
Wildermuth speaks about his early years on the family farm and its life-long influence on him; why he entered the University of Cincinnati; how he came to be hired by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; other architects who Wildermuth worked with; internal workings of the SOM partnership; Fazlur Khan; social concerns; international work; two exceptional projects in Saudi Arabia; retiring twice.
King Abdul Aziz International Airport - Hajj Terminal, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 1981
Photo by Jay Langlois
Copyright, Jay Langlois/Owens-Corning Fiberglass; Courtesy, SOM
McCormick Place - Phase 2 - Exposition Center Expansion North Building, Chicago, IL, 1986
Photo by Hedrich-Blessing; Copyright, Hedrich-Blessing; Courtesy, SOM
Interview Excerpt
"So, when I came to Chicago, the big shock in doing work, number one, was how you
people in Chicago are so involved with your city government, or the city government’s
involved with you. In New York, in those days, most people, I mean the mayor, he
really wasn’t involved too much. Here, the mayor and your, what are they called? The
aldermen are incredibly powerful people and very influential. Well, starting to get
involved in McCormick Place and the World’s Fair. Also, a major difference is, I find
Chicago, as a Midwesterner, this is shocking, you always think that Midwesterners are
far more easy-going and practical than those eastern people. But I came here thinking
that things would be simpler. They actually were more complex. I feel it’s a much more
litigious environment in construction here than in New York but that’s just my
reaction." (pp. 182-83)
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