The family traveled first to Italy, then to Cuba, and finally to the United States, before Dattner was nine years old.
Most American architects work either only at the local level, or only at the international level.
Richard Dattner has worked outside New York, but remains first and foremost a local architect, rooted in the communities of his chosen hometown. The wanderings of Dattner's early childhood, which created a desire for stability and roots, ended when his family moved from Cuba to Jackson Heights, Queens, and finally to Buffalo, all in 1946. Ltd. Concrete waves greet swimmers and visitors at Richard Dattner's Asphalt Green AquaCenter.