Rafael Guastavino Sr. was 39 when he left a successful career as an architect in Barcelona. American citiesdensely packed and built largely of woodwere experiencing horrific fires and Guastavino had the solution: The soaring interior spaces created by his tiled vaults and domes made buildings sturdier, fireproof and beautiful. What he didnt have was fluent English. Unable to win design commissions, he transferred control of the company to his American-educated son, whose subsequent half-century of inspired design work resulted in major contributions to the built environment of America.
Immigrant Architect is an introduction to architectural concepts and a timely reminder of immigrant contributions to America. The book includes four route maps for visiting Guastavino-designed spaces in New York City: uptown, midtown, downtown and Prospect Park.
Berta de Miguel is a trained architect specializing in the restoration of historic structures who works as Vertical Access New York City Branch Manager. This position has allowed her to work regularly in Guastavino-designed spaces. Part of this interaction with Guastavino is included in the documentary El Arquitecto de Nueva York, by Eva Vizcarra, which was selected for the Gold Dolphin at the Cannes Festival and for Best Biography recognition in the New York Festival Worlds Best TV & Films Festival. Kent Diebolt is the Founding Partner of Vertical Access LLC, an industrial rope access company dedicated to the inspection, investigation, and documentation of monumental historic buildings. Former president of the Association for Preservation Technology, he is an expert in Guastavino
projects throughout the United States. Virginia Lorente is an architect based in Valencia, Spain, who has written, illustrated, and published the childrens book on architecture My Favorite Houses, which won the Serra dOr prize in Spain in 2013.
