Barton Myers

Barton Myers, 91, was born in Norfolk, Virginia. He attended the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, then served in the U.S. Air Force as a fighter pilot, stationed in England. While in England, he discovered a love for architecture studying at Cambridge University. After leaving the military, he earned a degree in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, then worked for renowned architect Louis Kahn at his practice in Philadelphia. He then moved to Toronto, where he practiced and taught.

Myers became well known for designing steel houses, modular, “Case Study”-inspired houses (featured in a recent MOMA show), museums and performing arts centers, including The Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, FL, The Tempe Center for the Arts, in Tempe, AZ , The NJPAC in Newark, NJ, The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Cerritos, CA, and The Portland Center For the Arts in Portland, OR, as well and other major civic buildings. He was a Senior Professor at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design and visiting professor at Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Virginia. In the late 1990s, living in Toro Canyon, in the hills of Montecito, he pioneered designs including roll-down metal doors and reflecting pool roofs that stored water as a creative means of fire protection. Over the course of his career, he won the Canadian Governor General’s Medal twice, the Maybeck Award, as well as countless regional and national AIA awards. Major retrospectives were held at UCSB and the University of Pennsylvania.

Myers wed his next-door neighbor in Norfolk, Virginia, Victoria George Myers. The couple was married for 60 years and developed a deep professional partnership: Vicki ran his architectural practice with him from 1975 until her death in 2019. He is survived by his daughter Suzanne Myers of Brooklyn, NY and Norfolk, Connecticut, and grandchildren Henry and Thea Pincus.