Famed architect Art Gensler, founder of architecture firm Gensler, has died. He was 85 years old and passed away at his home in Mill Valley.
Gensler’s career spanned 65 years. He founded his namesake firm in 1965 with his wife and with associate James Follet. At the time it was known as M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates, Inc.
Gensler stepped down as chief executive of the San Francisco-based company in 2005 and as chairman in 2010. Gensler established an office in Santa Monica in 1976 and then moved it to downtown in 2011 where it has a regional office to this day. Some of Gensler's largest local projects are 2000 Avenue of the Stars in Century City, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Residences and JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE, the Banc of California Stadium, the Fairmont Century Plaza and the LAX Midfield Satellite Concourse.
“Art’s passing is a great loss for our industry and for me personally. He was my mentor, coach, and great friend for 40 years,” Andy Cohen, co-chief executive of Gensler, said in a statement.
“As our founder, he helped mold my career and those of so many other Gensler leaders. He laid the foundations for the company to become a global powerhouse — one that has repeatedly been recognized as the most admired design firm in the world. He taught us all about pursuing personal passions, opening doors for our people to excel at what they love to do, and working together to redefine the profession. He demonstrated how design has the power to create a better world. He showed us anything is possible.”
Gensler was born in 1935 and attended Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning where he received a Bachelor of Architecture degree.
While there he met his wife Drucilla (Drue) Cortell Gensler. The two got married in 1957 and moved to San Francisco in 1962 before starting the company now known as Gensler in 1965.
The company started as a one-room office with just $200 in the bank. The company focused on space planning and interiors. It became known for tenant development, a new discipline.
“Art’s legacy on the industry is in how he elevated the interior design profession and drove innovation across an entire industry,” Diane Hoskins, co-chief executive of Gensler, said in a statement. “His vision for our firm was that, together, designers and clients can solve the world’s biggest challenges. This has never been more important than it is right now. His legacy as a person was in the way he mentored almost everyone he met. An instant friend with an open mind and a master connector of people, the built environment, and the human experience.”
Gensler has served as a trustee of the Buck Institute for Aging, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the California College of the Arts. He and his family recently gave $10 million to Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning.
Gensler is survived by his four sons and their families.
