Oskar Garai, later Oscar Garry (1907 - ?)
Architect and designer Oskar Garai was born in Kráľovský Chlmec/Királyhelmec on the 18 June 1907. He studied architecture at the Deutsche Technische Hochschule in Prague in two periods: first between 1925 and 1929, and later again from 1931 to 1933. In 1926, he also took courses at the Deutsche Technische Hochschule in Brno. As a Jewish architect, Garry fled occupied Czechoslovakia with his wife Edith in 1940, seeking refuge in Britain. It is possible, though not confirmed, that they were interned during the Second World War.
Garry obtained British citizenship in 1947 and subsequently established the architectural firm Oscar Garry & Partners. The firm gained considerable success in designing high-end residential projects such as Chessington Lodge in Finchley in the late 1950s.
Proposed shops and offices, Archway, London (1960)
Architectural Press Archive / RIBA Collections
It reached its apex in the 1960s when it became known as one of the leading designers of post-war brutalist architecture in London. Peninsula Heights, originally known as Alembic House, built between 1962 and 1964, is but one example. Situated at 93 Albert Embankment, Vauxhall, it was initially used as offices for the United Nations, and later for MI6. In 1995-1996, the building was converted into luxury flats. Archway Tower (Vantage Point), a 17-storey office building that Garry designed to be built directly above the Archway underground station in 1963, has been used primarily by the government. In 2013, it was subject to redevelopment by Grid architects and converted into luxury flats. Another type of large scale public project was the Brentford (later Watermans) Arts Centre designed by Garry & Partners in 1980 and opened in 1984. The original structure housed a theatre, a cinema and a gallery, with studios added later. Located on the north bank of the River Thames and overlooking Kew Gardens, it closed to the public in 2004, for financial reasons.
Bibliographical References
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‘Development scheme for Archway, Highgate, London’, Architects' Journal, 1960 Oct. 13, p. 531
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‘Multi-storey car park, Aldersgate Street, London, E. C. I.’, Architects' Journal, 1961 Nov. 1, p. 815-817
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‘Multi-storey car park, Aldersgate Street, London, E. C. I.’, Architect & Building News, 1961 Nov. 8, p. 689-692
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‘Multi-storey car park, Aldersgate Street, London, E. C. I.’, Builder, 1961 Nov. 10, p. 860-861
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‘Archway Tower, North London’, Building Design, no. 233, 1975 Jan. 17, p. 7
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‘The Archway Tower', Asian Building & Construction, 1975 Apr., p. 36
RIBA Collections References
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Hamshaws Garage and Car Park, Leicester
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AP239/72-AP239/88
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Aldersgate Street Garage, City of London
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AP235/141-AP235/145, AP239/114-AP239/130
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Hamshaw House, Leicester
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AP336/15
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98 Albert Embankment, London
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AP345/127-AP345/128
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Projects by Oscar Garry
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Maltby box 196, MAL 35728-109467
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