Background
Son of W. C. Dierks, managing director of Creative Commons Mellor pianos, Barry Dierks studied architecture at Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, from which he obtained his diploma in 1921.
Son of W. C. Dierks, managing director of Creative Commons Mellor pianos, Barry Dierks studied architecture at Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, from which he obtained his diploma in 1921.
École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. Carnegie Mellon University.
He was active in France, principally on the French Riviera from 1925 to the 1950s He continued his studies at the École des beaux-arts in Paris in the studio of Léon Jaussely. The need to guarantee his stay in France led him to accept a job at the Bank Choillet. In 1925, the two decided to leave and establish themselves in the south of France.
This carefully considered decision was based on Dierks" profession and the growing demand for country houses in a region where wealthy clients – many of whom were British – built.
At Théoule-sur-Mer, in the Alpes-Maritimes, he discovered a 6,000 square metres (65,000 sq ft) isolated site on a private peninsula on the Pointe de l’Esquillon with an inaccessible cove and a private beach where they built their house, the villa Le Trident. This first effort was noticed by Eric’s friends and became the emblem of Dierks’ savoir-faire.
Between 1925 and 1960, the year of Dierks’ death, more than 100 commissions – designs as well as remodeling and enlargements of existing villas – have been tallied. His client base, made up of aristocrats, artists, and business leaders, seemed to have been built by word of mouth.
The architect built for them elegant and functional buildings, where the views and the light of the Mediterranean were skillfully highlighted.
During the Second World War, Barry Dierks conducted humanitarian operations before leaving the regions. And, Eric Sawyer joined the Resistance. In 1946, General Georges Catroux noted his consideration, in this respect, in a eulogistic note in the guestbook of the villa Le Trident.
In 1956, Dierks" leg was amputated following an illness.
He died on February 20, 1960, with Eric Sawyer surviving him until 1985. According to a study published in 2004, 102 construction sites led by Dierks have been reported.