Today is Leonard Manasseh’s 100th. birthday He is the first RA ever to be 100. Born in Singapore in 1916 in the house which is now the luxuriously sub-tropical residence of the High Commissioner, his father was a trader in rubber and jute. Trained at the AA in the late 1930s, the era of the MARS group and high modernism, he won a competition after the war to design a restaurant for the Festival of Britain and established himself in private practice as an architect in 1949 in partnership with Ian Baker. In the 50s, they worked mainly on cafés and shop designs including the interior of the Time Life Building in New Bond Street. In the late 50s, they did the Rutherford School of Lisson Grove. He was elected an RA in 1979 and continues faithfully to attend meetings of General Assembly.
| Charles | Saumarez | Smith | 
Congratulations on your 100th birthday and for the contribution you have made to architecture and as a long standing member of the Royal Academicians.
We celebrated your 80th In Durham at Howard Nash (FBUA) reunion
celebrated your 90th at the RA, and brought your ballons,
We wish we could off been with you to celebrate your 100th.
Our Suffolk Reunion went very well this year and we all missed you and Sarah
Michael and Patty Hopkins were here with Adrian and Audrey Gale.
All the old mates
Howard Nash and Monique Beauval-Nash.
Franco Britanic Union of Architects wish you a very happy birthday and celebrate your achievements and contribution.
Congratulations and much love to Leonard on his 100th birthday. He was a dear friend to my father Hugh Casson whose 106th birthday it would have been today.
I remember their hilarious gossips and a deep affection and respect for each other.
So was it Hugh who gave him the commission for the Festival of Britain ? Charles
He won it in competition, one of only two to survive the stringent time constraints (the other was Powell and Moya’s Skylon). However due to cost cuts his original design for the 51 Bar was simplified and reduced… however it was still a very stylish building.
I was told an intriguing story this evening by Leonard Manasseh’s cousin. His father had been to visit Leonard’s restaurant at the Festival of Britain. He was shown to the Gents. When he protested, he was told that it was the only part of the project which had been completed. Charles