BART PRINCE (1947-) is a New Mexico architect known for highly original, organic modernism that resists easy classification. Prince was born in Albuquerque and grew up here and in and Santa Fe. He discovered Frank Lloyd Wright’s work in middle school, took drafting in high school, and by age 17 was already designing houses for a local contractor. From 1965 to 1970, he studied architecture at Arizona State University, where Calvin Straub was among his professors. After graduating, he worked with Bruce Goff, whose influence became central to Prince’s later career, and he opened his own practice in Albuquerque in 1973.

BART PRINCE

Prince’s architectural interests center on making buildings that emerge from site, program, and experience rather than from a fixed style. His work is often described as organic, sculptural, and highly individual, with flowing forms, unusual geometries, and interiors organized as spatial sequences rather than static rooms. He has cited influences such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Antoni Gaudí, and Bruce Goff, while his own work developed into a distinctive language of curving, floating, and interlocking volumes.

His influence on regional architecture is significant because he offered a radical alternative to the revival styles and even to more conventional modernism in New Mexico. His work helped broaden what midcentury and postmidcentury architecture could mean in the region, especially by carrying forward the organic modern tradition into a Southwestern setting.

NOTABLE PROJECTS

Prince’s most notable project is his personal residence the Bart Prince House and Studio in Albuquerque, completed in 1984 and repeatedly expanded over time. The unique design of the house lends itself to other nicknames such as the “Bug House”, the “Hovercraft House” and the “Spaceship UFO House.”

Other significant residential designs by Prince in Albuquerque, include: the Bradford Prince Residence, Christopher Mead/Michele Penhall Residence, and the Parsifal Townhomes. Prince also left his mark with other memorable residential designs in Glorieta, Rio Rancho, Jemez Springs, New Mexico.

Prince’s portfolio extends well beyond New Mexico to include the Pavilion for Japanese Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (CA), the Gradow-Benton Residence in Aspen (CO), the Skilken Residence in Columbus (OH) and the Whiting Residence in Sun Valley (ID). These projects show the range of his practice, from deeply personal houses to major cultural commissions, all marked by a commitment to expressive form and site-specific design.

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REFERENCES

  1. Bart Prince. (2024, January 4). Bart Prince. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_Prince

  2. University of Pennsylvania. (n.d.). The architecture of Bart Prince: A pragmatics of place. https://arth.sas.upenn.edu/content/architecture-bart-prince-pragmatics-place

  3. Society of Architectural Historians. (2019, September 23). Bart Prince Residence and Studio. SAH Archipedia. https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/NM-01-001-0032

  4. Bart Prince. (n.d.). Bart Prince. https://www.bartprince.com

  5. Photo of Bart Prince by Paula Pinich, 2010. https://patriciajavierarch1390-2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/architect-bart-prince.html