Moore, Charles Willard( 1925 – 1993 )
Elevation studies for campanile and arcade, 1975 – 1978 , The Charles Moore Foundation
for the Study of Place, 5 10 in., Ink on paper napkinAn eclectic and playful architect, Charles Moore was an early critic of modernism. Advocating a
humanist approach, he often designed colorful buildings evoking historical precedent. Moore
sketched constantly using any media at hand, as seen by his many paper napkin sketches. Very facile
with pencil and paper, he would sketch to illustrate even non-architectural dialogue ( Johnson, 1986 ).
He attended Princeton to earn both a Masters in Fine Arts and a Ph.D., in 1957. He started his prac-
tice with private homes, building numerous houses, including eight for himself, over the course of his
life ( Johnson, 1986 ).
A dedicated educator, Moore taught and administrated architectural programs in several univer-
sities, including Berkeley, Yale and University of California. Some of his best known projects include;
Sea Ranch, California ( 1960 s), Kresge College and Faculty Club, University of California, Santa Cruz
( 1966 – 1973 ), St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in California ( 1979 – 1983 ), and Beverly Hills, Civic
Center ( 1982 ) ( Johnson, 1986 ).
Moore had great talent for working collaboratively with clients and community groups ( Johnson,
1986 ). His architectural projects primarily consisted of simple geometric shapes using compositional
balance. Moore’s work found distinction in its playful treatment of colors, cutouts, and graphics, and
the symbolism was often humorous. The Piazza d’Italia ( 1975 – 1978 ), a small downtown park sand-
wiched between buildings in central New Orleans, exemplifies this light attitude. The small plaza
features water surrounding an island formed in the shape of Italy, with an arcade of columns that has
been painted in shades of red and ochre.
The varied and plentiful sketches by Moore express the enthusiasm of his architecture. He often
used color and whimsical features in his drawings. Seldom erasing an image, he sketched quickly,
dancing between thoughts. The gesture of his body and this continuous dialogue create a narrative of
his thinking. Illustrated by this sketch (Figure 7. 15 ) on a paper napkin, one can view evidence of his
intense vision. The napkin has been imprinted with the words ‘The Windjammer,’ the name of a
restaurant. It is possible to imagine a scenario that puts Moore in the restaurant awaiting his meal and
entering into a conversation about the Piazza d’Italia in New Orleans. Choosing the nearest drawing
materials, he began to explore the form of the campanile and arcade. The two sides of the napkin
show that he sketched from opposite directions. The reversal may have also derived from the presence
of another person. To show the napkin and continue the conversation could have changed the direc-
tion of his groundlines. Moore was exploring the proportions and composition of the series of arches
with very small sketches, since the cocktail napkin was only five inches square.
Moore’s design sketch includes the campanile, with its simple geometric forms, and arches viewed
through the exposed structure. Accenting the joints, he drew circles at crucial intersections. He was
also trying variations and testing the composition of the three separate pieces that made the vertical
tower. On the right half of the napkin he was concentrating on the arcade, where he was grouping
various sized arches. The little sketches, some only an inch high, allowed him to view a comparison
between forms very quickly.
Moore understood that the physical sketch was no longer valuable after the thinking process was
complete. It was more important to sketch at the moment, rather than wait for an appropriate piece of
paper. He found the closest and most convenient media at the time, afraid that his ideas would escape
him. Since the sketch has been retained and published, he must have put it in his pocket for further
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