Mies van der Rohe stamp covers, 1982

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) was recruited to the Armour Institute of Technology, Chicago in 1938. Mies was given the title Professor of Architecture and Director of the Architectural Curriculum. Following the merger of Armour with Lewis Institute (another Chicago technical college) to create Illinois Institute of Technology in 1940, Mies held the same position and titles at IIT. He became Professor of Architecture and Director of the Architecture Department in 1949 after a reorganization of the curriculum. Upon a further reorganization of the Architecture Department in 1951, his title was changed to Professor of Architecture and Director of the Department of Architecture and City Planning. After his retirement in Sept. 1958, Mies continued as Emeritus Professor of Architecture until his death. Mies received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from John F. Kennedy in July 1963, the Gold Medal from the Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in June 1966, and the Honorary Doctorate of Engineering from IIT, also in June 1966. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1968. Mies developed the IIT campus master plan in 1941 and designed ca. 20 buildings on university's campus, including the first classroom building on the campus, Alumni Memorial Hall. Other Mies buildings on campus include Perlstein Hall, the Commons, Carr Memorial Chapel, and the world-renowned S. R. Crown Hall. Mies also had a private architectural practice in Chicago during his tenure at IIT. After his retirement from IIT in 195, he moved his private practice to New York City.