The Consulate General of Austria Los Angeles presents a new online exhibition dedicated to the fascinating life story and work of U.S.-Austrian architect Alfred Preis (1911-1993). Born, raised and educated in Vienna, Preis was forced to flee Nazi-occupied Austria in 1939 and emigrated to Honolulu. Briefly imprisoned as an “enemy alien” after the United States entered World War II, he emerged as one of Hawaii’s leading architects in the 1950s and ’60s. His celebrated career spanned twenty-three years and included nearly 180 completed projects, including the famous USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. The virtual show “Alfred Preis – Vienna in the Tropics” on the eve of Alfred Preis’ 110th birthday on February 2, 2021, presented on the BMEIA exhibition platform online-exhibitions.at, aims to bring the now almost forgotten architect back into the international spotlight. The exhibition is part of a program series of the Austrian Consulate General Los Angeles that highlights the important contributions of Austrian exiles to U.S. culture.
