Steve Orr, and Meaghan M. McDermott

Democrat and Chronicle

Architect James H. Johnson, whose noteworthy local work included the Mushroom House in Perinton and the Liberty Pole in downtown Rochester, died at the age of 83.

Mr. Johnson first came to public attention in 1964, when he won a contest to design the soaring sculpture that now adorns Liberty Pole Plaza, located on East Main Street where it intersects East Avenue and Franklin Street.

The 190-foot-tall stainless steel pole, held in place by 50 cables, is perhaps Rochester's best-known public landmark and gathering place. Erected on the same spot adorned by huge wooden liberty poles in the 19th century, the new version's cables give it the appearance of the Eiffel Tower from one angle and the sail of a giant ship from another.

The jury of nationally known architects who selected Johnson's design from among 120 entries called his work "an exciting, moving composition, a transparent and yet a subtle statement of space."

Christopher Brandt, then an architecture student at the University at Buffalo, first learned about Mr. Johnson's impact when he spent part of a internship in the summer of 2010 compiling background on prominent local architects.

"I had been aware of his name, primary just from knowing about the Mushroom House, as I think most Rochesterians know about the Mushroom House. As I started paging through the file and seeing one striking building after another, I realized I'd noticed many of them and I was dumbfounded to see that every single one was by the same person," Brandt said.

Brandt became an admirer and then a friend of Mr. Johnson, who he described as "an amazing, barrier-pushing architect."

Mr. Johnson's wife, Sarah Johnson said her husband had been inspired while attending college in Oklahoma by the work of Bruce Goff, a proponent of organic architecture.

"He often mentioned in his lectures that he was fortunate to be in school during the 1950s, when architects were breaking from standards and making their own rules," said Mr. Johnson's daughter Betsy Johnson. "They had the freedom to do whatever they wanted to do."

Mr. Johnson's work was decidedly contemporary, in some cases achingly so. In a 1975 news story, he described his style as "from the unusual all the way to the bizarre."

The Mushroom House, Mr. Johnson's other best-known work, fits snugly in that latter category. The Perinton home, easily visible to gawking passersby on the road that leads into Powder Mills Park, consists of five elevated pods connected by passageways.

Mr. Johnson, commissioned to design the home in the early 1970s, modeled their appearance on Queen Anne's lace, the umbrella-shaped flower that sits on a tall stalk. But perhaps because the concrete-polyurethane pods were cast in a brownish color, the structure became known as the Mushroom House.

The Mushroom House was an example of a method of construction that was compatible with the architectural school of which he was a member, said Brandt.

That school could be called organic modernism, and was a reaction to straightforward modernism, which was all straight lines and 90-degree corners, Brandt said. The organic approach was "using new and old materials in inventive ways, drawing inspiration from natural forms and nature and celebrating that."

"He definitely looked to nature for his inspiration and loved organic shapes," said Betsy Johnson. "And, he was great at problem-solving and using his ingenuity to make things happen."

The pods at the Mushroom House were cast in forms that were dug into the soil on site. Sand was mixed into the soil and the concrete poured in place, creating pieces with a sculptured form and the hue of the native soil. Portions of St. John the Evangelist Church in Greece, Temple Sinai in Brighton and St. Januarius Church in Naples, Ontario County, also were formed in this way, Brandt said.

Mr. Johnson also used metaphor in designs of houses of worship. St. Januarius, in a village where grape-growing and wine-making has been a tradition for 125 years and more, has the form of a grape leaf when viewed from above. Its stained-glass windows reflect the colors of varietals grown in the area, Brandt said.

Temple Sinai, on Penfield Road, has mammoth pillars that some say represent the tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written, and a series of soaring concrete panels that form the shape of a tent and hearken to the nomadic life once led by Jews.

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A native of Springfield, Missouri, Mr. Johnson moved to Rochester with his wife in 1957. He received his architectural license in 1959, and established his own practice in 1960.

His first commission was to design Our Lady of Mercy Parish Center.

That church's rectory, formerly on Denise Road in Greece, featured his signature exterior walls of sand-cast concrete. Particularly unique features to that building included chalice-shaped windows, skylights and a central, sunken Japanese-style courtyard that had a running stream and tropical plants and was surrounded by a mahogany walkway.

The rectory — the first building Mr. Johnson had designed on his own — was demolished in 2013 to make way for the Beatrice Place senior living complex, despite preservation efforts.

Mr. Johnson's other work included designing pedestrian bridges in Saudi Arabia to accommodate crowds that descend on Mecca during the annual haj, Brandt said. He also did commercial work of a more restrained nature, including for the Wilmot family of mall-builders in Rochester. Mr. Johnson was the architect of record for Pittsford Plaza, Brandt said.

Mr. Johnson lived in a retirement community in Brighton, where he and Sarah had recently moved from their long-time Penfield home.

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That home, too, was a striking example of Mr. Johnson's architectural styles, with its high roof and graceful curves. The 3,000 square-foot mountain retreat backs into Shadow Pines Golf Club and has a distinct mid-century modern feel.

Daughter Julie Johnson said while her father loved his profession, his true devotion was family.

"As a dad, he was just phenomenal," she said. "He just did so much for us four girls. He took us sledding, taught us to ski, to fish, to play tennis, and we traveled all the time. We made popcorn every Sunday night for our Disney movies. And if you had a problem he would always listen to them and give you good, solid advice."

Jennifer Johnson said her father was humble about his work.

"I don't think he was very interested in the accolades, or with impressing people," she said. "For him, it was all about the process, the finished process and making sure that his work was something he liked and that his clients liked."

Mr. Johnson is also survived by his daughter Amy Schwendler of Ohio and many grandchildren.

A memorial service for Mr. Johnson, who died Feb. 2, will be held at 4 p.m. Feb. 11 at Temple Sinai, 363 Penfield Road.

SORR@Gannett.com

MCDERMOT@Gannett.com

A distinctive place of worship in Greece