Michael Graves
Architect, designer, educator
Born: July 9, 1934, in Indianapolis, Indiana
Died: March 12, 2015, in Princeton New Jersey
New Jersey Hall of Fame, Class of 2010: Arts & Entertainment

One of the most acclaimed American architects of his time, Michael Graves applied his unique design sensibility to a range of projects, from major buildings to household objects. In so doing, he raised public awareness of good design as essential to the quality of life.

Graves grew up in the suburbs of Indianapolis. He earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s in architecture from Harvard University. After graduation, he won a Prix de Rome fellowship to study architecture for two years at the American Academy in Rome, Italy.

Returning from Rome, Graves moved to New Jersey for a professorship at Princeton University’s School of Architecture.  He taught at Princeton for 39 years while also practicing architecture. His earliest commissions were often private residences, which showcased his modernist vision of clean lines and lack of ornamentation. As he began to design larger structures, Graves evolved into what is considered post-modernism, adding playful elements and swathes of color to his work.

Among Graves’s most celebrated buildings are the municipal building in Portland, Oregon; the Humana Tower in Louisville, Kentucky; and the 1982 expansion of the Newark Museum. He designed theaters, libraries, corporate headquarters, and resorts, including the wildly imaginative Dolphin and Swan resorts at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. In New Jersey, he also designed Laurel Hall at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts in Princeton.

But Graves didn’t simply want to design places where people could live, work, or experience culture. He also was concerned about how people interact with their spaces and the objects within. His focus on ordinary objects helped change the way we think about design. “Ordinary objects don’t have to look ordinary,” Graves said. “Every object has a purpose, but it should also have a personality.”

To that end, Graves started designing everyday objects for clients such as Italian housewares manufacturer Alessi and mass-market retailer Target. In 1985, he designed his signature Alessi stainless steel teakettle with its iconic whistling bird at the spout. It became a perennial best-seller and, somewhat to Graves’s dismay, his best-known creation. In all, Graves’s design company is believed to have sent to market more than 2,000 products.

In 2003, a spinal-cord infection left Graves paralyzed from the waist down. Confined to a wheelchair, he developed a new awareness of the needs of the disabled. He subsequently designed wheelchairs and hospital furnishings to improve patients’ healthcare experiences, and became an advocate for those—like himself–with special needs.

Although he retired from teaching in 2001, Graves remained active at his design firm throughout his later years. In 2014, he helped establish the Michael Graves College, which includes the School of Public Architecture at Kean University in Union Township.

Graves was the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the 1999 National Medal of Arts; the 2001 Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects (AIA); and the 2010 Topaz Medallion from the AIA and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. The AIA-NJ’s lifetime achievement award is named in Graves’s honor. He was its first recipient.