One of the most significant Macedonian architects is Petar Mulichkovski. In his long career he created in almost all architectural types. The greatest impact in his work had his PhD research he did under the greatest of them all- Frank Lloyd Wright. In one of his latest phases maestro Wright was influenced by the authentic vernacular architecture from the various American-Indian’s tribes. His main goal was to organize the space in a manner as those primitive builders did it- in a spontaneous and functional mode, which brought him close to the then prevailing movement in the architecture- the functionalism. He also used the authentic colors, ornaments and all sorts of finery which were also inspired from the ones` of the American-native tribes, foremost from the sand paintings. The same as his great mentor Petar Mulichkovski used as a base-inspiration for his designs the authentic architecture- the one of the Macedonian house and folklore. In the international periodicals this architect is lured as one of the most relevant legatees of the great master.

Born in 1929 in Prilep; in 1949 he becomes an architecture student at the University of Ljubljana under the mentorship of Edvard Ravnikar. He then continued his education in many exquisite bureaus for architects. Such was his postgraduate stay at the California University in Berkeley where he team-worked on the project “Bay Area Outer Ring Study”; at this university he gave his specialization on regional-space planning in 1964. After this he continued with his advanced studies- through his research at the University of Harvard Massachusetts, at the Architectural Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright in Arizona, at the School of Mies van der Rohe at the Chicago Institute of Technology in Illinois and at the Studio of Charles Eames in Chicago.

One of the most renewed designs of Petar Mulichkovski is the building of the University Library “Kliment Ohridski”(see the photographs) that is also influenced by the designs of Wright, mostly from his house in Arizona- where the natural stone and sand colors were the dominant ones. The space in the house of the architect is organized in its length as at its end there is a space for sitting without any windows, so that the natural circulation of the air is well used and so that no air-conditioning is needed. The same achieved Mulichkovski with his brick colors, which are alluding on the Macedonian middle-age facades and with those large terraces. I was from the ones that collaborated with the American Embassy so that we can protect the design of this great architect. Unfortunately during my photographic session I noticed that the pedestal donation from the embassy that was placed in the library- bar regarding Frank Lloyd Wright is missing. Also is missing the handwritten poem from the poet Wystan Hugh Auden which he wrote in honor of this country. This poem was aside his bust.

Тext and photographs by Igor Pop Trajkov