Roger Bailey's influence and direct contributions have been felt in many areas. Among the things for which he is most remembered are his contributions to the University's campus plan, planning for Salt Lake City, his accomplishments as a watercolorist and his direction of the Salt Lake Art Center. Central to all of his activities was his role as Initiator, in 1949, and Chair of the architecture program at the University of Utah until his retirement in 1963.
When Roger Bailey died in 1985, his friends, family members, former students, faculty and associates in the architectural profession sought an appropriate way to honor his memory. Since post-graduate travel had served as such a strong influence on Prof. Bailey's life, a traveling fellowship that would give a similar opportunity to other young architects appeared most fitting. A great outpouring of affection for Roger Bailey and support for the idea resulted in the establishment of the Roger Bailey Traveling Fellowship.
The following recollections recount some of Professor Bailey's experiences leading up to the establishment of the architecture program at the University of Utah.
In 1915 when I enrolled in Architecture at Cornell University, the chief design critic, E. V. Meeks, commuted weekly to Ithaca from his desk in Carrere and Hastings' office in New York City and the junior critic was fresh from McKim, Mead and White. We used the programs of the Beaux Arts Institute of Design and grew familiar with all the books on Renaissance architecture, but never learned about Louis Sullivan or Frank Lloyd Wright who were considered to be craxy people "out there" in Chicago. After graduating in 1920, I had jobs in various New York City offices that did traditional work and felt I had hit the jackpot when I was employed by John Russell Pope's prestigious firm. In 1922 I entered the Paris Prize Competition and, as winner, took off for Paris for three years. the French students knew about Sullivan and H. H. Richardson, and our atelier had a book on Wright's work but they were not interested in LeCorbusier's articles currently being published or the modern work going on in Holland and elsewhere on the continent. I spent a good deal of time traveling throughout Europe, which was not customary, but I felt was an educational opportunity not to be missed.
It was not until my years on the Michigan faculty, under Professor Emil Lorch, that my understanding and appreciation of the historical importance of Louis Sullivan and the so-called Chicago School developed. Lorch knew Sullivan and Wright and was familiar with what was going on in Europe. My real education in architecture began under Emil Lorch and I learned from him what the so-called modern movement was really all about.
From 1936 through 1938 I went on leave from Michigan to accept E. V. Meeks' invitation to be Head Critic at Yale University and, during those summer, was Visiting Professor at Cornell. I was also convinced that my niche on the faculty was too confining and that perhaps I could make a larger contribution. I decided to see what was going on in architectural education in the western part of the country. In the late summer of 1948, my wife and I drove into Salt Lake City for an overnight stop on our way to the West Coast.
Roger Bailey, FAIA
Professor Emeritus
As I recall the story, he was making a summer trip and stopped off in Salt Lake City and in a general conversation realized how much an architectural educational center was needed in this vast area. It is such big country that it would need a broad training to fit an architect to practice appropriately. Any small idea would be out of scale. So he talked with the president of the University, and Lo! the department was on its way. Roger and Betty gave their lives unstintedly to its establishment. Nothing was too much trouble or time, and their house became a meeting place for students and friends to discuss architecture.
I like to recall the days at Roger and Betty's apartment when we talked far into the night about architectural goals.
William W. Wurster, FAIA
Former Dean of Architecture, MIT
Dean Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley
It was at this time that I first met Roger Bailey, who came to my office without an appointment and asked to see me. My secretary explained that I was busy in conferences that day and would not be able to spend much time with him. He said he was in no hurry since he was on a vacation trip. His enthusiasm and persistence caused him to make an appointment for another day, and when he returned to fill the appointment he brought with him a watercolor painting of the open-pit coper mines west of the city which he had painted during the interim. He presented it to me and told me it would illustrate what he had in mind. He informed me that he was Professor Roger Bailey, of the Department of Architecture of the University of Michigan, and that he was married to the daughter of a former dean of architecture at that university. In other words, he let me know that he was not a novice in his profession.
He then proceeded to tell me that the University of Utah had a unique location and a great opportunity to develop a style of architecture which would fit in with the environment of this region. He talked about the mountains and the excavations in them which offered unusual challenges for building in such a unique environment. He had the perspective of a true pioneer.
A. Ray Olpin
President Emeritus, University of Utah
Information provided by Betty Bailey
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