DEATH OF AN ICON

César Pelli, Architect of Famous Global Buildings, Dies at 92

Pelli’s firm is known for designing the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, among countless other buildings worldwide.

César Pelli, the famed Argentine-American architect known for designing some of the world’s most recognizable buildings, died Friday at his home in New Haven, Connecticut. He was 92. Pelli’s firm is known for designing the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, and Brookfield Place, formerly the World Financial Center, in downtown Manhattan. Aside from skyscrapers, Pelli was chosen to design the renovation and expansion of the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan in 1977, and also designed a terminal at Washington’s Reagan National Airport. Pelli was the former dean of the Yale University School of Architecture and a lecturer at the school, where he received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree. He won hundreds of awards for his designs, including the American Institute of Architects’ 1995 gold medal.