JANUARY 1989 -- They say it takes seven years to become a real New Yorker. Carlos Almada has been here just that long, but he seems to have hit town as a fully formed New York character. Almada grew up in Buenos Aires, where he studied architecture. He began his architectural practice building houses in Brazil and then moved to New York, where he got a lot more education than he bargained more.

His first job in Manhattan was designing theatrical productions for Joseph Papp at the Public Theater. It was a perfect training ground, because the Public produces limited-run showcases and Almada was always working on new project. "I loved designing for the theater," he says. "The playwrights captured real life in their words, and I tried to capture that same real life in designing sets. It's a poetic kind of architecture."

The location is a former industrial building in downtown Manhattan. "It's very utilitarian, like a factory. It looks like things should be produced there. And they will be." Almada wants to create something like a new Bauhaus by establishing a network of like-minded creators. Visiting his office during business hours, you might think it chaotic, with several projects being developed simultaneously and Almada holding a phone in each hand while his secretary holds another. But it seems like a party. And business flies when your having fun.

© INTERVIEW MAGAZINE 1989