Following his undergraduate work at Harvard College, James Bryan entered the architectural program at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania, to pursue a career in a concrete art. He finished his graduate work there with co-editing and producing the book "VIA 2, Structures Implicit & Explicit" (1973).
In the 1970s and 80s, his architectural practice began with development planning studies and construction design for new commercial building projects, including office buildings and operations centers. From 1991 through 2006, he turned to work on major public and institutional buildings, leading historic-preservation projects for a number of landmark civic structures including city halls, courthouses, and museums. In 2006, after completing several renovation projects at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and developing a master plan for its further renovation and expansion, he joined the museum’s staff for four years as program manager for the implementation of that long-term plan.
Following his retirement from professional architectural practice in 2010, Mr. Bryan began work on a series of studies of architecture and other forms of material culture.
