Irving Maitin

Maitin, Irving Jacob (1924-1999), architect

Graduate of U. Penn (1945) and Harvard (1946) where he studied with Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer / independent practice practice prior to employment with Ewing Cole 1966 on.  The following bio is from the PAB website "Irving J. Maitin, brother of artist Samuel Maitin, was born in Philadelphia, the son of Isaac B. and Ruth Pollack Maitin, and attended Simon Gratz High School in the city. Maitin received a B.Arch. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1945 before going on to Harvard University, where he completed an M. Arch. degree in 1946. Maitin excelled at Penn, earning several medals and prizes: in 1942-3 he won the Alumni Medal for Efficiency in Sketch Problems, in 1943-4 the James Smyth Warner Memorial Prize and second place in the Samuel Huckel Jr. Architectural Prize, and, in 1944-5, the Faculty Medal in Architecture. After serving as designer and head draftsman for Morris Fruchtbaum, Maitin and Fruchtbaum established Fruchtbaum & Maitin with offices at 1231 Sansom Street in 1955. Maitin also worked for Louis I. Kahn at an unknown point. In 1966, Maitin joined the office of Ewing Cole Erdman & Eubank, and was a project manager for the firm by 1970. He was later made a partner, and remained with the successor firms, retiring in 1994 from Ewing Cole Cherry Brott.
Maitin joined the AIA in 1958 and was a member of its Philadelphia chapter. Maitin was particularly active in music schools of the Philadelphia region, donating his architectural services for branches of Philadelphia's Settlement School. He served as president of the board of the Jenkintown Music School in 1988 when it merged with Settlement. According to his Philadelphia Inquirer obituary, he played a key role in bringing the two institutions together, and also presided over the successor board of the new Jenkintown Branch of Settlement, as well as serving as vice president of Settlement's trustees. Written by Emily T. Cooperman, and Sandra L. Tatman."

!953 The Maitin Residence

Quotes From Irwin on the design of his family home

"The functional problem was to design as large and efficient a house as possible with a limited budget, on a wooded steeply sloping lot.  Beyond this, a conscious attempt was made to design a straight-forward structure with simplicity as its essence.  The view is a striking one, and it was felt that the house should eschew dramatic effects and sit lightly among the trees with a sense of calmness."

"It was attempted to orient the house to outdoor living insofar as the Pa climate permits, and a large screened porch serves as living-dinning area for five months of the year. The house was fitted onto a natural shelf in  a rather steep slope which drops to a streem."

Exterior materials are natural cypress and white painted brick.

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