Suzanne Binswanger
Citation
Keystones: Oral Histories of Philadelphia's Built Environment (). Suzanne Binswanger. https://digital.philaathenaeum.org/s/keystones/item/17
Keystones: Oral Histories of Philadelphia's Built Environment. "Suzanne Binswanger." Web. . <https://digital.philaathenaeum.org/s/keystones/item/17>.
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Item Metadata
Title
Suzanne Binswanger
Date
2012
Description
Suzanne Hirsch Binswanger (1930-2025) was a Philadelphia interior designer and the founder of Executive Interiors, a firm that specialized in corporate offices, including those of the law firm Wolf Block Schorr & Solis-Cohen, Price Waterhouse, Rohm & Haas, Triangle Publications (Walter Annenberg’s media group), and the executive offices of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News. Binswanger also designed the interiors of the Korman House, Louis Kahn’s last residential project.
Interviewee
Binswanger, Suzanne
Interviewer
Myers, Hyman
Laverty, Bruce
Abstract
On February 24, 2012 Hyman Myers and Bruce Laverty interviewed Suzanne Binswanger at her house. Myers was a preservation architect at VITETTA. Laverty was the Gladys Brooks Curator of Architecture at The Athenaeum of Philadelphia.
Lynn Mandarano transcribed this interview in 2025. The transcription process was funded by a Historical and Archival Records Care (HARC) Grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC). Eve Wildrick, Binswanger’s daughter and partner, reviewed the transcript for accuracy in 2025.
In the interview, Binswanger recalls her upbringing in Philadelphia, her study of art at Sarah Lawrence College, and the founding of Executive Interiors in 1961, which grew out of selling artwork to corporate offices. She discusses her offices for Price Waterhouse, Rohm & Haas, and Walter Annenberg; her interiors for Louis Kahn’s Korman House in Fort Washington; and her work for University of Pennsylvania president Judith Rodin at Eisenlohr. Binswanger also describes projects in healthcare and education, including Fox Chase Cancer Center, the practice of interior design in the 1960s, furniture and furnishings, contemporary interior trends, and the designers and innovators who shaped the field.
Lynn Mandarano transcribed this interview in 2025. The transcription process was funded by a Historical and Archival Records Care (HARC) Grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC). Eve Wildrick, Binswanger’s daughter and partner, reviewed the transcript for accuracy in 2025.
In the interview, Binswanger recalls her upbringing in Philadelphia, her study of art at Sarah Lawrence College, and the founding of Executive Interiors in 1961, which grew out of selling artwork to corporate offices. She discusses her offices for Price Waterhouse, Rohm & Haas, and Walter Annenberg; her interiors for Louis Kahn’s Korman House in Fort Washington; and her work for University of Pennsylvania president Judith Rodin at Eisenlohr. Binswanger also describes projects in healthcare and education, including Fox Chase Cancer Center, the practice of interior design in the 1960s, furniture and furnishings, contemporary interior trends, and the designers and innovators who shaped the field.