So what is a Windigo?
You’ll find plenty of horrific mythological stories about Windigo on the internet, most relate to the First Nation Algonquian tribes’ evil woodland creatures; but if you are reading this, you’ve come to the other, more poetic version of Windigo. The one we like to tell…
An ancient Native American god named Windigo who, when prayed to before battle, would ensure the winds were from the warrior’s back, thus carrying their arrows farther than those of their enemies. Consequently, flying against the wind, the enemies’ arrows would fall short of their mark.
Back in the early 1950’s, a 73-foot Sparkman-Stevens yawl was commissioned by the company founder’s father, Walter S. Gubelmann. When it came naming his racing yacht, he chose Windigo. “With the Wind I Go” was the rally cry on board, and since then the S&S yawl became a sailing legend. Earning many yacht racing titles in the 1950s and 60s in the waters off the U.S. and Europe, it even made the cover of Sports Illustrated in June 1955.
The Gubelmann name is also a legend unto itself. Walter’s father, William, was a prolific inventor in the early 20th century. Some of his most notable inventions are the backspace key for the typewriter and the coaster brake for bicycles. Altogether, he had more than 5,000 claims granted on his patents and, in 1951, was called the father of all calculating machines by the magazine Popular Mechanics. Morristown locals may know of “Alnwick Hall” otherwise known as “The Abbey”, which once served as William’s estate and laboratory. The inventor also had a passion for sailing and owned Seven Seas a 168’ square-rigged clipper ship seen sailing below in a Newport to Bermuda Race back in the 30’s.
William’s grandson James “Jimmy” Gubelmann was inspired by his grandfather the inventor and also by his maternal grandfather, architect James Greene, and launched Windigo Design Works in 1976. With an assembled team of architects, engineers, artists, industrial designers, and graphic designers, Windigo became a company that could design and create almost anything.
In 1984, M. Louis Goodman joined Windigo Design Works and led the architecture division until 2005. Prof. Goodman also taught Advanced Studios and Seminars at Pratt Institute since 1979. Graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, he worked with such noted architects as Louis I. Kahn, Thomas Vreeland and Mitchell/Giurgola. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1961 and he studied Textile Design and its’ Fabrication at the Philadelphia Textile Institute 1955-1956. Because of his interest in the educational and theoretical issues of architecture and design methodology, Prof. Goodman was instrumental in setting the haute-design culture at Windigo. Thus internal studio design meetings and discussions were very much like they are in Architecture school.
In the spirit of the legend and of competition,the present day Windigo Architecture and Design retains strong connections to its yachting and inventive roots, embodied in a passion for the sport and a design philosophy that is influenced by the physics of sailing. In 2006 David Spence - also a yachtsman - acquired the helm of Windigo Architecture and Design, and taken her through many projects around the country, winning awards for design excellence.