The Art of William Rosso

ROSSO is an award-winning Architect, a successful Entrepreneur Builder and an innovative Artist. Educated in the mid 1950’s as an Architect at the University of California, Berkeley, he perfected his studio art in early 2000’s while living in Florence, Italy. The wide spectrum of his art includes Ink Drawings, Etchings & Lithographs, Cold Wax Medium as well as Photography. His attraction to printmaking, while spending a year working at Italy’s famed Il Bisonte workshop, stimulated an exploration of original digital art, color & texture using advanced computers. Using his personal original artwork & photography, he created a new and exciting imagery, which is both unique and complex. His digital art is reproduced using permanent, advanced Giclee printing on archival paper. All his work can be reproduced in many sizes.

PROFESSIONAL & PERSONAL SUMMARY

In the early 1960’s ROSSO practiced both as a private architect and lead designer in an international architectural firm. His designs were honored by HUD, the AIA & professional magazines. He later moved to Nuremburg, Germany where he served as the Chief of Architecture for EES, a US non-funded government agency, providing goods and services to military, diplomatic and contractor elements throughout Western Europe, Berlin, and parts of the Middle East. Returning to the bay area he joined the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency and became its Director of Architecture and Housing, including Urban Design. Under his leadership, the Agency produced thousands of housing units and was granted a National HUD Honor Award for the restoration of Victorian houses. He was also appointed to serve on several City and Bay Area housing committees. Early in the 1970s he joined entrepreneur Alexander Maisin developing several major properties, including the Anchorage and Howard Johnson Hotel at Fisherman’s Wharf. Concurrently, he acquired the former Notre Dame Hospital and converted it to over 200 HUD subsidized elderly housing units. Three additional hotels were acquired and remodeled into the first HUD subsidized SRO housing in the Nation. An additional new elderly housing project was constructed west of Van Ness Avenue. A substantial number of San Francisco’s HUD subsidized housing units were added during Rosso’s leadership.

He then built a personal condominium development at Lake Tahoe. In 1980, Rosso and a colleague formed the Rosso/Fornoff Partnership to design and construct properties in North Berkeley. The Shattuck Commons commercial complex was opened in 1981 and an adjacent mixed use apartment development was completed and occupied in 1991. The Rosso and Fornoff families continue to own and operate the properties as Shattuck Rose LP.

Rosso, raised in an Aviation family, is also an aircraft owner and pilot. He holds a high performance, complex, single engine FAA license with Instrument rating. He has flown many aircraft, including Jet and aerobatic. At 80, he sold his last personal aircraft and ceased flying.