Obituary
Tribute: Beverly Willis, 95—Architecture Pioneer, Advocate for Women
A flashmob organized by Willis at the 2018 American Institute of Architects conference in New York City.
Photo courtesy of Architectural Record
Architect Beverly Willis, who embraced 21st-century approaches to design of buildings, cities and everything in between since the late 1950s, and launched an impressive second career with her New York City-based foundation that also was ahead of its time in helping women in architecture and related fields gain deserved recognition, died on Oct. 1 in Branford, Conn. She was 95.
She was described as “peerless” by Cynthia Phifer Kracauer, executive director of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation in a 2019 event introduction as winner of the ENR New York Legacy Award. “The sheer variety of careers that she had, from artist to architect to philanthropist, makes comparison a challenge,” Kracauer told ENR's Eydie Cubarrubia.
Read more about Willis' contributions in the ENR New York Legacy Award profile and in an obituary by Architectural Record, ENR's sister publication.
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