Urban, Joseph Maria

Urban, Joseph Maria (ûr`bən), 1872–1933, American architect and scene designer, b. Vienna. He won distinction with his architectural work, including the bridge across the Neva at St. Petersburg, and with his decorative work at the Paris exposition, 1900. At the St. Louis exposition, 1904, he decorated the Austrian building. He emigrated to the United States in 1911 and was naturalized in 1917. He was active as scene designer for the Metropolitan Opera and for the Ziegfeld Follies. Urban was art consultant for the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition, held in 1933–34.