Placzek, Adolph K(urt) (1913–2000)

Austrian-born architectural librarian and historian. As the director of the foremost US architectural library, he shared his vast knowledge of architectural history with several generations of scholars and students. A longtime member of the Society of Architectural Historians, he served as its president during 1978–80. He was editor of the Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects (1982) and contributed articles to various encyclopedias, books, and periodicals.

He was born in Vienna, Austria. He began as a medical student at the University of Vienna, then shifted to its Institute of Fine Arts. Emigrating to the USA in 1940, he attended Columbia University, where he became the assistant librarian of Avery Architectural Library (1948–60); he was promoted to Avery Librarian (1960–80) and also held a post at Columbia as adjunct professor of architecture (1971–80). He was a member of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (1984).