Welcome...
Six decades ago, Robert Arthur King went to an exhibit at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art called, "The Rise of an American Architect," and, he says, "I fell in love."
Learn more about the journey and his work, which includes related efforts as an expert witness, in legal consulting, and as writer, photographer, teacher and lecturer.
IN FOCUS
Architecture as Art
Charles Luckman, the architect who, among other projects, designed the Madison Square Garden building that replaced New York’s Penn Station, once told a writer for The New Yorker: "I am firm in my belief that architecture is a business and not an art."
"I totally disagree," says architect Robert Arthur King. "It's an art! You are creating an environment in which to live while respecting that environment."
Learn more about the spaces Robert has served as an art-focused architect at this link.
A passion and a career born from an encounter with an art exhibit continues now more than six decades later.
An expert witness and / or legal consultant on 50+ cases involving NYC building code and more, King offers law firms and attorneys advice on the validity of a case. His testimony was even cited in a judge's ruling, an unusal occurrence.
In the past King has taught on mechanical systems (plumbing, electrical and elevators), as well as historic preservation. On Mondays, he teaches about building codes at the New York School of Interior Design in New York City. He also offers lectures on a variety of topics - Jewish, Women and Black Architects from the 19th Century among them. He has given these lectures at a local City Island, Bronx, NY theatre, as well as University Clubs.
In three books, King presents the joy and inspiration one receives from his study in "stone." "Figures in Stone" features more than 200 imaginative sculptural details, from the domestic to the fantastic, with a brief introduction and contextual photos to show the building on which each ornament appears, the address and transportation information. That book contains the complete contents of King's "Faces in Stone" and "Animals in Stone." (The images on this Home Page are all from King's books!)
King's love of photography ~ and his fascination for the architectural elements on buildings in NYC, across the United States, and even around the world ~ was born from an assignment received in a photography class. The task: photograph women. Too shy to ask a woman to take her photo, he noticed women carved into stone on buildings. Those became his subjects; men, flowers, animals, etc. soon followed. (By the way, he got an A in that photography class!)
King has logged tens of thousands of miles in his exploration of architecture and related details. He loves nothing more than to bring people into that past time, with his signature phrase, "Keep Looking Up." Learn more on the "Writing" page.
