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Architect Greg Baldwin passed away earlier this summer on June 25. A news release from ZGF has recently released the details of a planned public memorial for the architect, who is remembered as a consensus-builder and mentor, with extensive impacts in transit, urban design and higher education.

Baldwin’s work in Portland included the Bank of America Financial Center, the Eliot Tower, and extensive transit work including the MAX Light Rail Transitway, Mall Revitalization and Extension and the Portland Streetcar.

When & Where: Thursday, August 18: Public Service at 4 p.m. at Portland Art Museum, Kridel Ballroom. Reception at 5 p.m. at Simon and Helen Director Park.

In lieu of flowers: Send any donations in honor of Greg to Friends of PIR (Portland International Raceway), 4004 Kruse Way Place, Suite 200, Lake Oswego, OR 97035.

Read a full obituary of Baldwin from ZGF after the jump.

Greg cared deeply about design at all levels from the very broad and civic to the smallest mechanical connection. Quite simply he designed and built from the heart.  From his vantage point, the goal was never to merely complete the project at hand, but to see what the project could leverage from other adjacent partners to create a sum greater than the individual parts.  Rather than point to a single successful, stand-alone project as an outstanding career example, one must look wider and dig deeper to uncover the real transformative nature of his design pursuits.  Light rail systems stretching for scores of miles and touching numerous communities; university and campus master plans which shaped not just the buildings but actually defined the teaching, learning and living experiences of those who used them; and downtowns, parks and public streets, which Greg firmly believed belonged to “the old and young, rich and poor, active and infirm, and all of those in between.”

He was the consummate, old school, bow-tied gentleman, yet he continually reached out to and surrounded himself with young designers. As a mentor to many, he was always ready with a compliment when deserved, and rigorous, but constructive, criticism when warranted.  Governors, congressmen and mayors regularly sought his guidance, but Greg was also a friend to developers, grandmothers and skateboarders alike.  Never standing in one place too long, he was an avid long distance runner, an early morning water skier, a high noon driver of high performance race cars, and a good dancer at dusk.  His eclectic pursuits were one of his many charms and certainly a window into his perspective on life, where everything had meaning and value and lessons to be learned.

Greg graduated from Wilson High School in Portland, Ore., in 1958. He went on to Harvard College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1962, and then earning two master’s degrees from Harvard University in Architecture (1966) and Urban Design (1967). He received a Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome in 1971, as well as a Marshall Prize and Fulbright Fellowship for post-graduate studies. Following his European studies, he worked for Skidmore Owings & Merrill in Portland, and renovated facilities for Portland Public Schools before joining ZGF in 1979, and becoming a partner in 1985, where he remained until his death.

Greg was not afraid to push on various assumptions, principles or processes to build a better, more compelling, livable and resilient outcome.  He enriched those who were touched by his extraordinary wisdom, gentle nature and clear vision of the art of the possible. The profound influence Greg has had on so many people and the depth by which he is regarded—even by those who didn’t know him — is beyond measure.  His practice leaves a lasting legacy on Portland, the region and the country.