Ismail Parker
Ismail Lemington Edward Joseph Parker III was an eccentric architect from Sayaffallah who is most notable for his whimsical architectural designs, his larger than life personality and his work on designing the current headquarters of the Council of Educators in the capital Bellissimomare.
History
Early life
Ismail Lemington Edward Joseph Parker III was the son of a bearded lady and a circus clown born to them in an elephant stall in 1888 and soon became a regular part of his act with his parents dressing him up as a miniature clown to much acclaim in their routines and acts as they traveled with the Farrisian National Circus throughout Sayaffallah. Ismail was self-educated pouring through books that he would steal from libraries along the circus route many of them on structural design and engineering and architecture. Ismail from a young age would draw city skylines and building schematics on the walls of his circus caravan room and would write complex formulas for engineering buildings to stay standing at odd angles and disproportionate shapes.
Ismail ran away from home at age 16 but not before he burned down the circus tent out of anger from performing so much. Ismail was quickly caught and brought to trial and sent to a reformatory where he stayed until his 18 birthday upon which he was released and decided to forge his name as Edward Lemington and take the entrance exams for a prestigious architectural school in Bellissimomare which he passed with the highest scores in the testing group. Professors were astounded at his level of success and labeled him as a prodigy and granted him with immediate entry which Ismail accept but under his real name of Ismail Parker.
Architectural school and early career
Ismail excelled in his studies and soon became an apprentice to the Tucker Architectural Firm in Bellissimomare and soon designed several buildings in the downtown industrial districts which began his career as an architect. Ismail however was frequently distracted by a yearning to reunite with his family in the circus so in the summer of 1910 at the age of 22 Ismail left his job at the architectural firm and traveled to find his parents who had by this time purchased ownership of the circus. Ismail used his business sense and his architectural background and soon designed a permanent circus hall for his parents and their co-workers to perform in without having to travel extensively. The circus hall was designed to look whimsical and became the first in the trademark Ismail Parker style which emphasized flowing lines of sight and innovative interior features to maximize utility and classical elegance.
Ismail Parker was commissioned in 1949 to design and oversee construction of a new set offices for the Council of Educators by the Sultan of Sayaffallah. Ismail designed an iconic building filling out part of the skyline of the capital of Bellissimomare by designing what would later be referred to as The Egg with enough room and space for the entire Council of Educators and their staff of clerks and aides. This new landmark within the capital skyrocketed Ismail Parker's career and gave him international credibility and soon Ismail was commissioned to design everything from public toilets to houses to places of worship.
Later years
Ismail Parker was known for his wildly flamboyant lifestyle and contracted syphilis which he later passed away from on December 2, 1963 and was given a state funeral in recognition of his accomplishments and contributions to Sayaffallan life, heritage and culture during the course of his lifetime. Ismail Parker was buried at the National Cathedral of Sayaffallah and given a bust in his honor at the Parliament of the Nation which still stands to this day in the hall of heroes.
Legacy
Lifestyle
Ismail Parker was known for his flamboyant excesses often dressing in bright colors and wearing hand stitched uniforms with gilded epaulettes and gold buttons and shiny shoes that were either in the color of red (if he was having a bad day) or blue (if he was sad) or green (if he was feeling ill) or pink (if he was happy or excited) or black (if he was serious and focussed). Ismail Parker always kept his personal life extremely private leaving many in the country curious as to his romantic life as he could be seen leaving with a different lady each night of the opera but never accompanying them home.
Ismail also was known for the carriage he insisted on using even as automobiles became frequently more common in sight and in sound with Ismail famously saying that he neither trusted things with motors nor cared to rely upon them. So Ismail Parker rode in a gilded gold open air carriage featuring dragons on either side and in the event of foul weather he had two midgets on either side of him to hold umbrellas open over his head so that not a drop of rain would touch his skin.
Architecture
Without a doubt Ismail Parker is also remembered for his devotion to architecture with over 300 buildings coming up during his lifetime that he personally designed in his large studio office. Architecturally the style of Parker was whimsical but with clear flowing lines of sight and design parameters allowing for ease of access, utility and relaxation within the building itself.
