The architect James Stewart Polshek at his office in Manhattan in 1985. Credit...Don Hogan Charles/The New York Times

James Stewart Polshek, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and AIA Gold Medalist, has died at the age of 92. His humanist design legacy etched architecture’s ideals into each of his projects and he inspired students, faculty, peers, and clients to serve their communities through design, critical thinking, care, and warmth.

Polshek founded his eponymous architecture firm in 1963, which went through several incarnations—all testaments to his penchant for invention and reinvention. He retired in 2005, serving until his death as design counsel for the firm, which was renamed Ennead in 2010.

Polshek was celebrated as an architect’s architect who was inspired by design’s unique ability to respond to people, and he was equally celebrated as an educator who was generous in spirit and selfless in his mentorship of others. As the lauded Dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation from 1972 to 1987, Polshek emboldened students to think critically about practice, theory, style, and ultimately architecture’s meaning in society. His collaborative spirit also led to a complete revision of the school’s curriculum and direction that, in turn, reversed its decline and attracted world-class faculty in the 1980s and 1990s...

AIA. Obituary: James Stewart Polshek, FAIA (1930-2022)

The New York Times: James Stewart Polshek, Quiet Giant of Modern Architecture, Dies at 92