American architectural practice founded in Chicago in 1939 by Louis Skidmore (b Lawrenceburg, IN, 8 April 1897; d Winter Haven, FL, 27 Sept 1962) and Nathaniel A(lexander) Owings (b Indianapolis, IN, 5 Feb 1903; d Santa Fe, NM, 13 June 1984), and the engineer John O(gden) Merrill (b St Paul, MN, 10 Aug 1896; d Chicago, IL, 13 June 1975). Both Skidmore and Owings were trained as architects, and they worked together on the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago (1929-34) before forming a partnership in 1936. In an attempt to gain more commissions they opened a branch office in New York in 1937. During World War II SOM were commissioned to design the town at Oak Ridge, TN (completed 1946), to house those who worked on the atom bomb. The experience that they gained on this enabled them to develop an exceptional organizational and managerial capability at an early stage. The firm dominated American corporate architectural practice for over three decades and during this time grew to be the largest in the country, if not the world. It created an American image and style: International Style, modernist, glossy, meticulously detailed buildings, fitted out with modern furniture and art. At one time or another the firm had branch offices in nearly every American city, and they would compete with one another for commissions.

See the Abbreviations for further details.

The Concise Grove Dictionary of Art. Copyright © 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved.