Hazen and Robinson

Hazen and Robinson

Company type	Private
Industry	Architecture
Founded	1947 in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
Founder	N. Bruce Hazen, Marvin Robinson
Defunct	1967
Headquarters	Lincoln , United States
Area served	Lincoln, Nebraska and southeastern Nebraska
Key people	N. Bruce Hazen, Marvin Robinson
Products	Architectural design services

Hazen and Robinson was an architectural practice headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska that operated between 1947 and 1967. Established by lead architects N. Bruce Hazen and Marvin Robinson, the firm played a pivotal role in shaping Lincoln’s city center, the Nebraska State Capitol, and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, a prominent institution in the Midwest. Their commitment to modernist design is reflected in landmarks such as the Sheldon Art Gallery, created in collaboration with Philip Johnson, along with Kimball Recital Hall, Westbrook Music Building, and Pershing Auditorium.

N. Bruce Hazen

N. Bruce Hazen, born on March 13, 1897, in Peoria, Illinois, was a founding partner with a robust academic foundation. He studied at Bradley Polytechnic Institute and the University of Pennsylvania, ultimately receiving his B.A. in Architecture from the University of Illinois in 1922. Early professional experience included positions with JW Roy Urbana III and Hewitt & Emerson before he moved to Lincoln to join Davis & Wilson.

Hazen contributed significantly to Lincoln’s Woodshire neighborhood by designing ten residences that featured a variety of period revival styles such as Colonial Revival architecture, prior to his firm’s shift toward modernism. He married Sidna Nutting Smith in 1937 and concluded his architectural career in 1976. Hazen died on May 23, 1991.

Marvin Robinson

Marvin Lee Robinson held leadership roles including serving on the Nebraska Art Association board and presiding over the Nebraska chapter of the American Institute of Architects. As a Lowell Palmer Fellow in Architecture at Princeton University, Robinson had a distinguished academic background. He retired from architectural practice in 1967 and passed away three years later, in 1970.

Hazen and Robinson (1947–1967)

Established in 1947 in Lincoln, Nebraska, Hazen and Robinson emerged as a prominent architectural firm during the post-World War II period. Their extensive body of work throughout Lincoln and southeastern Nebraska primarily embraced modernist principles. Following their partnership with Philip Johnson on the Sheldon Art Gallery, they integrated aspects of the International Style associated with Johnson’s work. The firm dissolved when Robinson retired in 1967; Bruce Hazen continued collaborating with local architects until his retirement in 1976.

Notable work

Hazen and Robinson left a lasting imprint on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln campus through designs such as Kimball Recital Hall, Westbrook Music Building, Woods Art Building, and Canfield Administration building. Their joint effort with Philip Johnson on the Sheldon Museum of Art remains a signature project that harmonized modernist elements with classical influences. Drawing inspiration from Johnson’s aesthetic, they also designed the adjacent Woods Art Building and helped develop the sculpture garden connecting it to the Sheldon.

Key contributions to campus architecture include the acoustically renowned Kimball Recital Hall and Westbrook Music Hall. Outside the university setting, Hazen and Robinson were among fifteen firms involved in creating Pershing Auditorium located downtown Lincoln and also designed the Bennett Martin Public Library. Beyond Lincoln, their portfolio includes significant projects like the Beatrice State Hospital in Beatrice, Nebraska.