The year 1949 in architecture involved some significant events.

Events

• January 26 – Fire breaks out in the golden hall of Horyu-ji Buddhist temple, Japan, causing severe damage to the building, mainly its first floor, and murals. As a result of the restoration (completed in 1954) it is estimated that about 15–20% of the original seventh century Kondo materials is left in the building; the charred timbers are carefully removed to a separate fireproof warehouse for future research.^[1][2]
• George Pace is appointed surveyor to the Church of England Diocese of Sheffield and establishes a private practice in York.

Buildings and structures

Buildings opened

• Early – Spa Green Estate in London, designed by Berthold Lubetkin of the Tecton Group with Ove Arup & Partners.
• August 20 – Las Lajas Shrine in Colombia, begun in 1916.
• December 16 – The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, designed by Gerard Moerdijk.

Buildings completed

• Ford House in Illinois designed by Bruce Goff.
• Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut designed by Philip Johnson.
• Eames House in Los Angeles, California, designed by Charles Eames.
• Promontory Apartments in Chicago, Illinois, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
• Church of Saint Francis Xavier, Kansas City, Missouri, designed by Barry Byrne.
• Googies coffee shop, West Hollywood, California, designed by John Lautner.

Awards

• American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal – Frederick Law Olmsted.
• AIA Gold Medal – Frank Lloyd Wright.
• RIBA Royal Gold Medal – Howard Robertson.

Births

• January 4 – Peter Blundell Jones, British architectural historian (died 2016)
• June 14 – Bořek Šípek, Czech neo-baroque architect and designer (died 2016)
• August 26 – Dan Cruickshank, British architectural historian
• December 9 – Tom Kite, American professional golfer and golf course architect
• Demetri Porphyrios, Greek New Classical architect

Deaths

• March 1 – Gordon Kaufmann, English-born American architect known for his work on the Hoover Dam (born 1888)
• March 4 – Sir Charles Nicholson, 2nd Baronet, English ecclesiastical architect (born 1867)
• April 17 – R. Harold Zook, American architect working in Chicago (born 1889)
• May 1 – Josep Maria Jujol, Catalan architect (born 1879)
• September 27 – David Adler, American architect (born 1882)