You're probably wondering why the BSA is posting about the Olympics. But you're probably also wondering why you never knew that Architecture was an Olympic event and that architects like Walter Gropius were Olympians!

That's right. From 1912 to 1948 five categories of art - architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture - were Olympic events (town planning was even added to the Architecture category in 1932). While there were a lot of US entrants in Architecture who were BSA members - architects like Walter Gropius, FAIA, Ralph Cram, FAIA (BSA President), Robert Day Andrews, FAIA, John Whitmore, AIA (BSA President), Howland Jones, FAIA - only two Americans were ever awarded medals.

John Russell Pope (perhaps better known for the Jefferson Memorial and National Archives) won silver in 1936 for his design of the Payne Whitney Gymnasium at Yale University and Charles Downing Lay won silver in 1936 in town planning for his design of Brooklyn Marine Park. While records from the era are spotty, you can look them up on the Olympic website under "athletes" (lol) here: https://olympics.com/en/athlet...

And if you're wondering, no they didn't arrive in the Olympic Village and start drafting (or sculpting, or writing, etc). Entries were submitted in advance and reviewed by a panel of judges. Although, if architects WERE given a project following the Opening Ceremonies, we think it would be wild for NBC to check in 5 minutes before the Closing Ceremonies to see all of the contestants furiously finishing their sketches ("what is the DO date?").

And if you're ALSO wondering why Architecture (and the Arts) are no longer in the Olympics, it's because the entrants were only professionals, and Pierre de Coubertin, the French founder of the modern Olympic movement, felt strongly that only amateurs should be able to compete in the Olympic Games (Heh).

And if you're ALSO ALSO wondering, there was one person who competed and won Olympic medals in both architecture and in athletics. Hungarian Alfréd Hajós, considered the first Olympic swimming champion, won two gold medals in the event in 1896 (100m freestyle and 1,200m freestyle) and later won a silver medal n Architecture in 1924 (Hajós was also accomplished in track & field and played for the Hungarian national soccer team).

So next time someone asks you who the greatest Olympian of all-time was you can tell them "Walter Gropius" (or John Russell Pope, or Alfréd Hajós).