Drawing by Kevin S. and Mike M.  Helmut Jahn (b. 1940) When and where was Helmut Jahn born? What did Jahn do in his early and middle years? What were some of his projects? What type of buildings did he design?             When and where was Helmut Jahn born? Helmut Jahn was born in 1940 in Nuremberg, Germany. Return to Top       What did Jahn do in his early and middle years? Helmut Jahn trained at the Technische Hochschule from 1960-1965 in Munich, Germany. He then emigrated to the U.S. in 1966 and went to the Illinois Institute of Technology for a year. He studied under Mies van der Rohe, another famous Chicago architect. Return to Top       What were some of his projects? In Illinois, Jahn designed the United Airlines Terminal at O'Hare Airport. Construction on O'Hare lasted from 1985 until 1988. He also designed the State of Illinois Center. The construction took from 1979 until 1983. The O'Hare terminal and the State of Illinois Center have been called two of the best works of American architecture since 1980. In Kansas City Jahn designed the Kemper Arena. Return to Top       What type of buildings did he design? Jahn favored modern architecture in his early designs. He liked steel, glass, and concrete. One building he used these materials in was the Bartle Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Return to Top     BUILDINGS | ARCHITECTS | BASICS | GAMES | LINKS | BIBLIOGRAPHY | ABOUT US | EMAIL | HOME