Born Itze-Leib Schmuilowsky, Louis Isadore Kahn was born into an imperfect Jewish circle of relatives in Parnu. He spent the relaxation of his early youth in Kuressaare on the Estonian island of Saaremaa, then part of the Russian Empire. At age three, he saw coals within the range and was captivated by their light. He positioned them in his apron, which stuck on fire and seared his face. He carried these scars for the relaxation of his life.
In 1906, at the height of the Russo-Japanese War, his family emigrated to the United States out of fear that his father would be redrafted. His actual birth year may have been recorded incorrectly in the immigration system. According to his son’s 2003 account, the family couldn’t afford pencils but made charcoal sticks from burned branches so Lewis could make some money from photographs and later from silent films and a piano he played. In 1914, He became a U.S. citizen. a naturalized citizen. His father changed their names in 1915.
He trained at the University of Pennsylvania in the strict Beaux-Arts tradition, emphasizing portraiture. After graduating from architecture in 1924, Louis Isadore Kahn worked as chief draftsman in the office of City Architect John Molitor.