Profiles of Late Style: Cecil Baker
“When the recession hit everything changed. It was like a sucker punch to the gut.”
It is ironic that Cecil Baker, Philadelphia architect, has such a generous creativity and yet his craft has been shaped most prominently by the constraints of economic recession.
His early career started off with tremendous and rapid success. But the economic reality of the 1980’s reshaped the entire industry and was deeply formative for Baker. Needing to find work, “I traded my pencil for a nail apron and we went into the construction business. We did everything. I became a developer.” Instead of dwelling solely in the conceptual, he suddenly saw the design process from concept to finish. “It was the real world. And it fundamentally changed my paradigm.”
The Value of “Commonplace” Design
This early experience led Baker to value a design aesthetic that is minimalist without being harsh, simple yet thoughtful.
Baker’s process is emergent and participatory. “The process of creating the form is deeply democratic. I’m from Argentina and I know that democracy is hard to come by. There are significant challenges with a democratic process, of course. But great rewards as well.”
Baker likens himself to a sculptor. Instead of starting with an idea, he lets the ideas emerge from within. “I look for the cracks and veins in the marble and let the material shape what the finished project looks like.”
His long career has only enhanced this process. “There are shortcuts that come with ‘wisdom’, although that feels like a strange word to use. But I see things quicker. My pencil automatically goes into those deeper veins of the marble. I can get right to it. Life gets more uncluttered with age. The years pass so quickly, it is wonderful that you can have this increased clarity.”
Deeply committed to letting the physical surroundings and context shape his architecture, this “persuasion of place” involves history, community, and a respect for the design process.
The Pursuit of what makes Philadelphia “Philadelphia”
A native of Argentina, Baker is no stranger to this city. He has been involved in many projects that make up our growing skyline and he has always sought to steer his firm through the space between historical and modern.
He has no plans to stop now. His passion for design and Philadelphia’s architectural renaissance continue to push him forward.
“There is a tremendous nervousness around the development that is happening in Philadelphia right now. Who are we becoming? Is there a ‘Philadelphia language’ that can inform what our architecture looks like? How do you create something that feels so right on its own but fits within the larger context?”
These are some of the questions that Baker is still answering. And their answers might be the lasting legacy of Baker himself.
Baker continues to work at his architecture firm, Cecil Baker + Partners. The urban renaissance currently happening in Philadelphia makes this a wonderful time to be a working architect. Explaining how his life in Philadelphia has shaped him, he says, “I have become a better citizen, which makes me a better architect.” His latest projects are evidence of the connection of good citizenship, good design, and good architecture.
“There are so many beautiful things about the old Philadelphia. How do we keep it and yet allow for those extraordinary insertions that change the landscape in a wonderful way? How do we make space for these buildings that are an absolute joy to walk by? Buildings that make you stop and say, I am so glad this building is here in Philadelphia.”
This spirit of adventure and joyful exploration continues to drive Baker today. By reconciling the historical richness of the past and the extraordinary potential of the future, Cecil Baker is charting new paths in this well-worn city.
The Profiles of Late Style blog series is part of the Departure and Discovery Project led by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society which is supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Over the next few months, we will be featuring weekly stories that explore a whole range of perspectives on late style and its impact as an altogether universal human experience.
