Oral history of Carol Ross Barney / interviewed by Deborah A. Burkhart, compiled under the auspices of the Chicago Architects Oral History Project, the Ernest R. Graham Study Center for Architectural Drawings, Department of Architecture, the Art Institute - Page 10 |
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Burkhart: Besides the Sister, who influenced your early career?
Ross Barney: Who else influenced my career? Well, it depends on how early you want to
go. The other day— I can't remember who I was talking to— but they were
talking about inheriting their mother's furniture and they didn't quite know
what to do with it because it was all this traditional furniture. Beautiful, but
traditional. My mother had Danish Modern furniture and I never really
even thought about it until I was much older. I was like, “ That's what
people have, right?” They have Danish furniture and it's quite sleek and
beautiful. I think, obviously, my parents were an influence. My father was
quite iconoclastic; [ he] absolutely couldn't stand fools, he couldn't stand
consultants, and I think he might've been the only socialist on the North
Shore— the only Democrat when I was growing up. So, it wasn't that he
didn't fit in, but he certainly was his own person. And it's funny that he
didn't like consultants because I have three brothers and four sisters and
out of my sibs, let's see— there's one accountant, one engineer, two
architects, an attorney— so we've covered the consultants really well even
though Dad didn't like consultants. But he was definitely an influence. I
mean, he was his own person and I think we all turned out be our own
people. And my mother, interestingly enough, one of the things I
remember about her is— I must've been maybe in fifth grade— she told me
that when she was in fifth grade, she wanted to be the first woman
president of the United States. So that's where my parents came from; my
parents set us up to be interested in achievement and interested in legacy,
so that's part of it. I think anybody who looks back at their career, it's
obviously your family life and your early influences, but then, when you
get farther along in your career, there are people who make you think
about what you're doing, who are your mentors, too.
Burkhart: Well, I know you worked at Holabird and Root, right?
Ross Barney: I did.
Object Description
| Title | Oral history of Carol Ross Barney / interviewed by Deborah A. Burkhart, compiled under the auspices of the Chicago Architects Oral History Project, the Ernest R. Graham Study Center for Architectural Drawings, Department of Architecture, the Art Institute of Chicago. |
| Author | Ross Barney, Carol |
| Publication Date | 2007 |
| Collection Name | Chicago Architects Oral History Project |
| Call Number (print) | NA737.R66 R67 2007 |
| Interviewer/Alternate Creator | Burkhart, Deborah A.; Chicago Architects Oral History Project |
| Interview Location | Ross Barney's office |
| Interview Date | 04/21/2006 |
| Transcript Length | 58 pages |
| Website URL | http://www.artic.edu/aic/libraries/caohp/ |
| Licensing Statement | For publication information please contact the Ryerson and Burnham Archives at rbarchives@artic.edu. |
Description
| Title | Oral history of Carol Ross Barney / interviewed by Deborah A. Burkhart, compiled under the auspices of the Chicago Architects Oral History Project, the Ernest R. Graham Study Center for Architectural Drawings, Department of Architecture, the Art Institute - Page 10 |
| Full text | 3 Burkhart: Besides the Sister, who influenced your early career? Ross Barney: Who else influenced my career? Well, it depends on how early you want to go. The other day— I can't remember who I was talking to— but they were talking about inheriting their mother's furniture and they didn't quite know what to do with it because it was all this traditional furniture. Beautiful, but traditional. My mother had Danish Modern furniture and I never really even thought about it until I was much older. I was like, “ That's what people have, right?” They have Danish furniture and it's quite sleek and beautiful. I think, obviously, my parents were an influence. My father was quite iconoclastic; [ he] absolutely couldn't stand fools, he couldn't stand consultants, and I think he might've been the only socialist on the North Shore— the only Democrat when I was growing up. So, it wasn't that he didn't fit in, but he certainly was his own person. And it's funny that he didn't like consultants because I have three brothers and four sisters and out of my sibs, let's see— there's one accountant, one engineer, two architects, an attorney— so we've covered the consultants really well even though Dad didn't like consultants. But he was definitely an influence. I mean, he was his own person and I think we all turned out be our own people. And my mother, interestingly enough, one of the things I remember about her is— I must've been maybe in fifth grade— she told me that when she was in fifth grade, she wanted to be the first woman president of the United States. So that's where my parents came from; my parents set us up to be interested in achievement and interested in legacy, so that's part of it. I think anybody who looks back at their career, it's obviously your family life and your early influences, but then, when you get farther along in your career, there are people who make you think about what you're doing, who are your mentors, too. Burkhart: Well, I know you worked at Holabird and Root, right? Ross Barney: I did. |
