Harris Sobin was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1931 and attended Harvard University, where he took three degrees – in English (1953), Law (1956) and, finally, Architecture, graduating from the Graduate School of Design with an MArch in 1961. He was then awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to attend the post-graduate course at the Architectural Association Department of Tropical Studies, in London, which he completed in 1962. He appears to have moved directly into teaching and in 1967 was appointed Professor at the newly founded University of Puerto Rico Architecture Department. He subsequently returned to the US and from 1970-2000 held a number of faculty positions at the University of Arizona. He is best known, through his pioneering work in the field of historic preservation. In 1971 he led a team of design students to carry out a survey of the Barrio Viejo, Tucson’s historic downtown neighbourhood – at that time earmarked for demolition by the Arizona State Highway Department. Their published report mobilised protest and ultimately convinced the authorities that the planned highway be diverted and the neighbourhood (now known as the Barrio Historico) be saved. Sobin also played a leading role in preservation campaigns for the historic fabric of the town of Florence and the city of Bisbee, in Arizona, along with other regions across Arizona, including the municipalities of Gilbert and Marana. Supporting this field of work, Harris built his own architectural practice, which specialised in preservation work and building within historic contexts. In 1977, the ‘Final Report of the Florence Townsite Historic District Study’ prepared by Harris Sobin & Associates, was instrumental in establishing the town on the National Historic Register. His extensive archive was donated to the Arizona Historical Society in 2010.
Sources
