The Seattle-born architect established the Los Angeles office of Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates in 1986 before branching off in 2004 to start Pfeiffer Partners, with major projects including a renovation of L.A.'s landmark Griffith Observatory.
The philanthropist and activist served as Commissioner of New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and as head of the New York State Council on the Arts.
“He sought to make a difference in the world, in small gestures as well as grand ambitions, and he succeeded brilliantly,” writes Gwendolyn Wright of the late architect, author, and academic.
A student of Louis Kahn, the New Jersey-born architect garnered professional notoriety—and won a 1971 Record House Award—upon completing his own home in the suburbs of New York City.
“My practice is devoted to the design of houses, not shelters or ‘machines for living,’” wrote the late architect who designed residences for high-profile clients including Calvin Klein, Mickey Drexler, and Bill and Melinda Gates.
The Baltimore-born architect was a fixture at the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles beginning in the 1980s, including as director of its graduate program.
“He made the world—and the buildings so many people live, work, and learn in—more beautiful,” said architect Patty Hopkins of her late husband and professional partner.
A native New Yorker, architect Claude Stoller witnessed Modernism’s ascent in North America firsthand, interacting with the movement’s leading players and later designing works that exemplified its principles.
