Denis Glen Kuhn, a respected leader of Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects, New York City, died of a heart attack on May 10. He was 65.

Kuhn

The company named Kuhn a principal partner in in 1987. He started with Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Whitelaw in 1979 as an associate and was named a senior associate in 1984. The company added his name to its title in 1997. Kuhn was known for his work in the field of adaptive reuse and preservation. He was instrumental in transforming old and abandoned landmark buildings such as the 1909 Beaux-Arts U.S. Custom House, which reopened in 1994 after being abandoned in the 1970s. It now houses the National Museum of the American Indian and the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts.

Among Kuhn’s proudest accomplishments was his redevelopment of the historic Union Station in Kansas City. The structure, which built in 1914, became Science City, a childrens’ science museum and entertainment complex,.

Kuhn also founded EE&K Architects’ Washington D.C. office, growing the number of employees there from five to almost 40.

Kuhn’s goal “was to keep his projects relevant and vital, maintaining the old while accommodating the new,” wrote James Greenberg, managing principal of EE&K Architects. “He showed us how to keep cities alive, and how to make good neighbors of historic and modern.”

Kuhn graduated from Pratt Institute in Manhattan in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. He was named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1993.