Guess the Architect: March 2025

A monthly contest from the editors of RECORD asks you to guess the architect for a work of historical importance.

Clue: This stark, unadorned housing complex was designed soon after the southern European country in which it is located transitioned from dictatorship to democracy. Initially designed for low-income city residents, it stood half-built for 30 years until it was finally completed—but in part due to the fame of its architect, a Pritzker Prize–winner, it ended up attracting a substantial population of upwardly mobile professionals. “In a certain sense,” the architect wrote, “the integrity of the first design has been lost in the revision.”

By entering, you have a chance to win a $500 Visa gift card. Deadline to enter is the last day of each month at 5:00pm EST.

Last month’s answer: Franklin Court, which was conceived to honor Benjamin Franklin and is located in his hometown of Philadelphia, was designed by the firm of Venturi, Rauch, and Scott Brown and opened in 1976. In sharp contrast to more cheerful modes of Postmodernism that draw freely on historical motifs, the ghost house at Franklin Court suggests that the history of the site remains intangible and out of reach.

Photo © Izzy Kornblatt