Paul Murat Marantz (April 27, 1938 – May 26, 2025) was an American architectural lighting designer, whose work includes the discothèque Studio 54,"Studio 54," Architectural Record, Vol. 163, No. 1 (Jan. 1978), pp. 84-87.Finn, Robin. "PUBLIC LIVES; From Disco Floors to Skylines, Illuminating Life," The New York Times, New York, March 29, 2002. Retrieved on April 25, 2014. the Times Square Ball,Fisher Marantz Stone, Portfolio: Special Projects, http://www.fmsp.com/port_11.htm. Retrieved on April 25, 2014.Kushner, David. "This New Year's Eve, Technology Will Drop the Ball,” The New York Times, New York, December 30, 1999. Retrieved on April 25, 2014. the Tribute in Light, the Barnes Foundation,Smith, Roberta. "A Museum, Reborn, Remains True to Its Old Self, Only Better,” The New York Times, New York, May 17, 2012. Retrieved on April 25, 2014.Fisher Marantz Stone, Portfolio: Museums, http://www.fmsp.com/port_06.htm. Retrieved on April 25, 2014. and the Burj Khalifa.Lentz, Linda C. “Shedding Light on the World’s Tallest Building: Three firms illuminate the Burj Khalifa with alternating restraint and spectacle,” Architectural Record, August 2010. Retrieved on April 25, 2014.Fisher Marantz Stone, Portfolio: Tower, http://www.fmsp.com/port_15.htm. Retrieved on April 25, 2014. He was a founder of the lighting design firm Fisher Marantz Stone.Fisher Marantz Stone, Our Studio: People, http://www.fmsp.com/studio_01.htm. Retrieved on April 25, 2014
Education and early career Marantz was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on April 27, 1938. He received a B.A. from Oberlin College and did graduate work at Case Western Reserve University and Brooklyn College.Brady, Kevin. "Byzantine Mystique," Lighting Design + Application, Jan. 1999, Vol. 29, No. 1, http://www.ies.org/pdf/archives/1999_01.pdf. In 1968, he established an architectural lighting design firm with Jules Fisher.
Personal life and death Marantz was married to Marsha Heller and had one son, but later divorced. He married Jane in 1977, and had another son. He died from a stroke at his home in Manhattan, New York City, on May 26, 2025, at the age of 87.Paul Marantz, co-founder of Fisher Marantz Stone, dies
Selected projects Barnes Foundation Burj Khalifa Byzantine Fresco ChapelFisher Marantz Stone, Portfolio: Spiritual, http://www.fmsp.com/port_12.htm. Retrieved on April 25, 2014. Carnegie Hall RestorationFisher Marantz Stone, Portfolio: Theatre, http://www.fmsp.com/port_13.htm. Retrieved on April 25, 2014. Grand Central Terminal RestorationFisher Marantz Stone, Portfolio: Renovation, http://www.fmsp.com/port_07.htm. Retrieved on April 25, 2014. Islamic Cultural Center of New York Miho Museum New York Public Library, Rose Main Reading Room RestorationFisher Marantz Stone, Portfolio: Library, http://www.fmsp.com/port_05.htm. Retrieved on April 25, 2014. Reflecting Absence, The National September 11 Memorial Studio 54 Times Square Ball Lighting standards for the redevelopment of Times SquareTraub, James. 2004. The Devil’s Playground: A Century of Pleasure and Profit in Times Square. New York: Random House, pp. 157-159.Sagalyn, Lynne B. 2001. Times Square Roulette: Remaking the City Icon. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, p. 257.Gopnik, Adam. “Times Regained,” The New Yorker, March 22, 2004. Retrieved on April 25, 2014. Tribute in Light
Awards and honors Marantz received numerous Lumen Citations from the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) for projects including the J. Paul Getty Museum, the restoration of Radio City Music Hall, the Times Square Ball, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Byzantine Fresco Chapel. He received the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) Award for Excellence for the Islamic Cultural Center of New York and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and he received an IALD Citation for the restoration of the Rainbow Room. New York Times architecture critic Herbert Muschamp described Marantz, as a “lighting genius.”Muschamp, Herbert. "A NATION CHALLENGED: CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; In Lights at Ground Zero, Steps Toward Illumination," The New York Times, New York, March 12, 2002. Retrieved on April 25, 2014.
References
External links Fisher Marantz Stone, Official Website