Born in Tabor, Czechoslavakia in 1909, Jan received a Masters in Architecture from the University of Prague. He went on to study in Paris with Master Architect, Le Corbusier. After immigrating to the United States, he went on to receive a Masters of Architecture from Harvard University. Jan moved to St. Petersburg in 1959 where he lived until his death in 2010. In 1964, Jan submitted drawings for a proposed building that would house the fledgling Arts Center Association, of which Jan was a charter member. His plan would cost $100,000, not including land, and had room for 300 parking spaces. The proposal never went forward, as the Arts Center eventually purchased the building on 7th Street South years later. Truly ahead of his time, Jan developed a series of eco-cities and high-rise housing developments in the 1980s to deal with the predicted housing shortage. His proposals were rejected repeatedly by city officials.

Collection of Shirley Parsons Reiner