I.M. Pei, Architect Who Designed Kips Bay Plaza, Dies At 102

KIPS BAY, NY — I.M. Pei, a world-renowned architect known for designing the Louvre's glass pyramid, died at 102-years-old.

Though known for Paris's famed glass pyramid, Pei was also the architect behind the 1960s Kips Bay Plaza towers, located at 300 E. 33rd St. between First and Second avenues.

The "brutalist" 10-acre residential tower complex where Pei left his mark on Kips Bay features two 21-story towers — built as an experimental renewal project for low-cost housing. The complex has some 1,160 apartments as well as three acre plaza and retail space.

Pei's death was confirmed by Marc Diamond, a spokesman for the architect's New York firm Thursday. His career goes back to the 1940s, and he has added striking designs worldwide, from New York and Paris to Boulder and Washington D.C. Pei was raised in Shanghai and immigrated to the U.S. to study architecture.

At one point, Pei said, "At one level my goal is simply to give people pleasure in being in a space and walking around it. ... But I also think architecture can reach a level where it influences people to want to do something more with their lives. That is the challenge that I find most interesting."

To read more about Pei, click here.

With reporting from the Associated Press and Patch reporters Kathy McCormack and Deepti Hajela.