Dr. Craig Zabel

Biography

Craig Zabel teaches courses in modern architecture with particular emphasis on architecture in the United States, Germany, and Russia. He joined Penn State in 1985 and has previously taught at the Department of Fine Arts at Dickinson College and the Schools of Architecture at the University of Virginia and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His publications primarily focus on early twentieth-century architecture, bank architecture, Prairie School architects, American public architecture, skyscrapers, and contemporary architects. He co-edited "American Public Architecture: European Roots Native Expressions" and authored essays published in various outlets including the Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History. His current research explores the history of the skyscraper in American popular culture, examining themes related to P.T. Barnum’s oddities and cinematic representations. Zabel has received numerous awards for teaching excellence and leadership, including the College of Arts and Architecture Faculty Award and Penn State Teaching Fellow Award. He served as Head of the Department of Art History from 1998 to 2017 and as Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Outreach. In 2019, he founded the Iconic Modern Chairs collection at Penn State's Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library.

Research Interests