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= Mickey Muenning = From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mickey Muennig (* April 20, 1935), born as George Kaye Muenning, in Joplin, Missouri, is an american architect related and inspired by the American School by Bruce Goff. His architecture is described as: "Windswept, pounded by indigo waves, it remains incorrigibly wild into the twenty-first century" by Alan Hess, most of his work is based in the Big Sur area of California's Central Coast.

Early Years
Mickey Muenning spent the first 18 years of his life in his hometown Joplin. He got his Name Mickey, by his sister, because of his outward semblance with Mickey Mouse. After this time, he moved to Georgia to enroll in aeronautical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He studied for one year in this field, till a friend took him to the Architecture College of the GIT, where he was overjoyed by the drawings he saw. Later he got amazed by an article by Bruce Goff in a 1947 Architecture Forum, he studied his Bavinger House, and became interested in architecture and espacially Goffs work. So he decided to transfer to the University of Oklahoma to enroll in the then College of Ingeneering to study architecture under the Leadership of Goff in the famous course Architecture 273, which counts as the origin of most of the American School architects. After Muenning graduated in Architecture he went to several places to serve as an apprentice. First he worked with Phil Roach and Arnold Schoendorf in New Orleans, then he served in Long Beach, Mississippi for Vinson Smith. After all Muenning went back to Joplin to open his own architecture practise, after he got a job offer for a small residental building. He worked and lived here with his wife and two children for the next six years, before they moved to Denver, Colorado, in 1969, after Herb Green, another Class 273 student and friend got him a job here. But the economy turned bad and the offer decayed. Muenning found another job working on high raised apartment buildings and condominiums for Max Soul, he and his family stayed in Denver till 1971.

California Period
In 1971 Muenning went to a two week Gestalt therapy class in the Big Sur, he describes it as an enlightening experience and decide to stay a week longer. During this week Al Drucker came to Muenning to ask him, if he wants to help him to design a house. Muenning describes this moment as a milestone that changed his life forever. He moved to the Big Sur, as he told Bruce Goff about it, he just said: “I would never go out there because they have that horrible, restrictive Coastal Commission.”. In 1982 Goff died, Muenning was part of the ceremony in Chicago as a good friend. Muenning felt home in California, so he decided to stay here. Most of his more popular work was designed in the Big Sur.

Work
Muennings work manifests thru an organic and eco self-build architecture, what he also proves in the design of his own house in 1971 in the Big Sur. He works with the shape of the existing landscape and just cuts the building into the slope. He shows unorthodox forms, and a close connection to the things surrounding the building. Muenning also proves his interest in the nature and culture from other continents an places, like a moon shaped door, inspired by the Chinese temple culture, or cascading indoor waterfalls. The luxury eco hotel, Post Ranch Inn, counts as one of his most famous works. It was also built in the Big Sur, in 1988. Muenning is described as someone who experienced the site before he started to design, he figures out the best views and the specifics that makes the space special. For the Post Ranch Inch Dominic Lutyens describes it following: "For Muennig, the position of his houses is paramount. Before designing Post Ranch Inn, he climbed trees to determine the best views for it, then created its tree houses crowning slender stilts, earth-sheltered, Hobbit-like rooms carpeted in grass and wild flowers and cylindrical cabins deliberately echoing the redwood trees that dot the site."

Selected works

 * Foulke House, 1963
 * Mineral Museum, 1966
 * Muenning Studio, 1972
 * Prussin Residence, 1975
 * John Psyllus Residence I, 1977
 * John Psyllus Residence II, 1978
 * Muenning Residence, 1980
 * Michel Petrucciani, 1983
 * Bazinet Residence, 1984
 * Hawthrone Residence Addition, 1985
 * Witt Residence, 1988
 * Post Ranch Inn, 1988
 * Hunt-Badiner Residence Remodel and Addition, 1990
 * Witt Studio/Guesthouse, 1992
 * Lihu Lake Hotels,1993
 * McDade Residence, 1993
 * Caddell Residence Remodel, 1994
 * Hawthrone Gallery, 1995
 * Barklie Henry Barn and Music Studio,1997
 * Esalen Institute Baths, 1998
 * Pavey Residence, 1998
 * Scharffenberger Residence,1998
 * Nusbaum Residence,1998