To understand architecture’s evolution, it’s important to become acquainted with some of the stars who pushed design in new directions. The men in the following list definitely left a mark, and many of their marks are still standing today!
| Imhotep: The first architect known by name, this ancient Egyptian created the world’s first stone monument, a tomb for King Zoser. | Christopher Wren: This English classical architect is more famous for rebuilding St. Paul’s Cathedral than for the 51 new churches he designed in London. |
| Ictinus and Callicrates: This team of Greek architects spent more than a decade perfecting the Parthenon, the most influential building of all time. | Karl Friedrich Schinkel: Versatile in classical and Romantic styles, this German master designed one of the world’s first museums. |
| Hadrian: A Roman emperor and architecture buff, Hadrian propelled design and engineering to new heights with the Pantheon. | Louis Sullivan: A skyscraper pioneer, Chicago architect Louis Sullivan decorated his modern structures in leafy ornament. |
| Abbot Suger: This French monk was influential in developing the soaring architecture of Gothic cathedrals. | Frank Lloyd Wright: The most famous American architect of the twentieth century rooted his organic architecture in the land. |
| Filippo Brunelleschi: One of the first architects of the Italian Renaissance, Brunelleschi designed the dome of Florence Cathedral. | Le Corbusier: Born Charles Edouard Jeanneret, this Swiss-French genius used glass, steel, and concrete to invent a modern language for buildings and cities. |