Raphael Soriano

Raphael S. Soriano, FAIA was a Greek-born American architect who helped define Mid-century modern architecture through his pioneering use of modular prefabricated steel and aluminum structures. Born in Rhodes, Greece to a Sephardic Jewish family, Soriano emigrated to the United States in 1924, settling with relatives in Los Angeles. He enrolled at USC's School of Architecture in 1929, graduating in 1934. Soriano gained crucial experience through internships with Richard Neutra (alongside Gregory Ain and Harwell Hamilton Harris) and briefly with Rudolph Schindler. During the Great Depression, he worked on WPA projects including the famous 'Steel Lobster.'

His first independent commission was the Lipetz House (1936), which appeared in the 1937 International Architectural Exhibition in Paris. During WWII, he lectured at USC and developed housing prototypes, including his 'Plywood House' which won third prize in the 1943 Postwar Living Competition. In 1953, he moved to Tiburon, California with his wife Elizabeth Stephens and her daughters. He worked with developer Joseph Eichler on mass-produced steel houses and founded Soria Structures, Inc. in 1965 to manufacture 'All-Aluminum Homes.' From 1970 until his death in 1988, he focused on lecturing, writing, and research worldwide, serving as an instructor at Cal Poly Pomona late in life.