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Thomas (鈥淭hom鈥�) Hacker, founder of Thomas Hacker Architects (now simply Hacker), has died. He was 81.

Hacker was considered one of Oregon鈥檚 most influential architects by many industry observers. His work includes some of the state鈥檚 most prominent civic, museum, library, and educational buildings 鈥� the High Desert Museum near Bend, the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum in The Dalles, and Portland State University鈥檚 Urban Center.

Hacker died Feb. 27 due to complications from abdominal surgery he underwent in September 2022, according to a statement from the firm.

Before founding Thomas Hacker Architects, Hacker was a teacher and mentor for 14 years at the University of Oregon.

鈥淭hom couldn鈥檛 have been more charismatic if he tried,鈥� stated Allied Works Architecture founder Brad Cloepfil, once a student of Hacker鈥檚. 鈥淗e had a complete intensity and belief in what he鈥檚 doing. Every discussion had an ethical foundation and bigger aspiration. To this day, it鈥檚 rare that people talk about architecture in that way.鈥�

Hacker often emphasized that 鈥渁rchitecture, at its essence, is a servant to humanity 鈥� the greater the power of its art, the more profound its service,鈥� according to the firm鈥檚 statement.

Early in his career, Hacker worked alongside his mentor, Louis Kahn, on projects such as the Capitol Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. After Hacker started his firm, he focused on civic projects and primarily publicly funded buildings, including Beaverton City Library鈥檚 main library and Multnomah County Library鈥檚 Woodstock branch.

鈥淚鈥檝e had the privilege of working with a lot of great architects,鈥� stated Ginnie Cooper, a former Multnomah County Library director who worked with Hacker on a series of library projects. 鈥淚 would put Thom in the top echelon. He had a rare skill of listening to people 鈥� how they would use the building and what mattered to them. He also had a magical ability to give his staff wings while still making a Hacker building.鈥�

Hacker was born in Dayton, Ohio. He earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a graduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania鈥檚 Graduate School of Fine Arts in 1963. While there, he won the Paul Cret Gold Medal for Best Graduate Thesis Project and the Alfred Brooks Gold Medal for Best Design Student. His talent caught the eye of Kahn, who then hired Hacker as a draftsman.

Later, Hacker trekked to UO to teach with Richard Garfield, a colleague in Kahn鈥檚 office. In 1986, Hacker and Garfield left full-time academia to start Garfield Hacker Architects in Portland. Oregon Health & Science University鈥檚 Biomedical Information Communication Center (BICC), completed in 1991, was the firm鈥檚 first big commission. It was one of the first fully computerized libraries in the country.

In 1992, Hacker split from Garfield to run Thomas Hacker Architects. Its reach extended even beyond Oregon, to projects such as the Yellowstone Arts Center, the Spokane Public Library, and the Pacific Highway鈥檚 Port of Entry.

鈥淲hen I think of Thom, I reflect on the fact that he literally laid the foundation on which many of the most renowned firms in our region have built their design language,鈥� Hacker principal Corey Martin stated. 鈥淭he way that he created dynamic space with structure, the way he related form to landscape, and the way he integrated art in the process and the design have inspired many of the best buildings in our region. There are aspects of his designs embedded in all of our buildings, and I think we all assess the quality of our work in some way in relation to the buildings he created.鈥�

Hacker retired in 2018. For the full prior decade, he worked to ensure the firm鈥檚 values and purpose would continue beyond his career, according to the firm鈥檚 statement.

鈥淭hom instilled people around him with the sense that everything we did was part of something bigger than ourselves,鈥� Hacker principal David Keltner stated. 鈥淥ne of the most profound expressions of this was when he stepped away from the firm that bore his name while he still had so much to give in order for others to have space to make it their own. Not for their sake, but for the legacy of the work to continue beyond himself 鈥� beyond all of us.鈥�

Hacker is survived by his wife, Margaret, son Jacob, daughters Sarah and Alice, and grandchildren Noah, Ava, Owen, Gibson, Leon, and Moss.