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Peter J. Blake
| Peter J. Blake | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1920 Berlin 1920, But Was Sent |
| Died | 2006 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 0929736 |
| Rank | Private First Class |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 23 (25 September – 23 November 1944) |
| Section | 5A |
| Team | MII 440-G |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Peter J. Blake (1920–2006) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 23.
Biography
Peter Blake was a Ritchie Boy. Peter Jost Blach was born in Berlin 1920, but was sent to England in 1933 by his parents (who followed later) after the Nazi regime came to power in Germany. In 1938, Blach began studying at the University of London, and one year later he became a student at the Regent Street Polytechnic School of Architecture in London. Blach would immigrate to the United States in 1940 and enroll in the University of Pennsylvania's architecture program. During his time in Philadelphia, he became a protégé of famed American architect Louis Kahn. In 1944, Blach became a naturalized United States citizen and changed his name to Blake, subsequently enlisting in the U.S. Army and training at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, as an intelligence officer. Blake was sent to Europe and was among the first U.S. troops to enter Berlin following the death of Adolf Hitler. He would remain in the army until 1947, when he returned to New York and was named curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art in 1948. The following year, he would earn his bachelors degree in architecture from the Pratt Institute in 1949. In 1950, Blake would become an associate editor with The Architectural Forum, eventually rising to the level of editor-in-chief before leaving in 1972 for a similar position at Architecture Plus. During these years, Blake would also continue to practice in the field, designing houses and other buildings while also authoring a number of books on architecture and became known as both a practitioner and a critic of Modernism in architecture. In addition to his professional career, Blake also taught architecture at several colleges and universities, including courses at schools in Europe, Canada, Latin America, Asia, and Australia. In 1975, Blake accepted the position of chairman of the Boston Architectural Center, holding the position until he was offered a professorship in the Department of Architecture and Planning at The Catholic University of America in 1979. Blake would remain at CUA until his retirement in 1991, serving as chairman of the department from 1979 until 1986. During his term as chair and that of his predecessor, Blake oversaw the development of the Summer Institute for Architecture and the Master of Architecture for students with non-architectural degrees, as well as a pre-professional degree program. Blake would move to Connecticut after his retirement and would continue to write articles and books, in addition to authoring a regular column for both New York magazine and Interior Design, prior to his death in on December 5, 2006.
Research notes
- OSS
- Noted architect
- 440-g
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 86 |
| Class_ASN | 32996525 |
| Class_Name | BLAKE, Peter J. |
| match_method | pass2_unique_name |
| row_source | both |
Sources
- Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
- NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
- 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-12-09 (1 post)