Albert Spalding Benoist

Albert Spalding Benoist

AGE: 94 • Monmouth Beach

Albert Spalding Benoist, 94, architect, artist, illustrator, author, futurist, of Monmouth Beach, NJ died peacefully in his home on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012. A creative spirit and innovative thinker, Albert's lifelong optimism and boundless energy enabled him to live a full and purposeful life. Born in Long Branch, New Jersey in 1918 to a family whose patriarch was a world-renown pianist, Albert traveled extensively in Europe during his youth and attended the Lycée Carnot in Paris. In 1929, the family returned to Monmouth Beach where Albert continued his education at the Monmouth Beach Grammar School. He graduated from Long Branch High School in 1936 and in 1996, was honored as one of the first inductees to the Long Branch High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. His early education and exposure to a variety of cultural systems influenced his thinking and activism. Albert attended Columbia University for Electrical Engineering. During the summers, he worked as an electronics draftsman in the signal laboratories at Sandy Hook, and then in the Radar section of Camp Evans where he worked with the group that made the first contact with the moon. The war interrupted Albert's studies and he joined the US Army 100th Infantry and later their Signal Corps. He attended Harvard Advanced Engineering School for the Army Specialized Training Program for Civil Engineering followed by Navy Radar Training in Point Loma, California. Upon completion, he returned to NJ to train Navy cadets on Navy radar. He was Radar Chief on a Seatrain destined for Marseilles, France. Once back in the States, Albert returned to Columbia University where he graduated with a Bachelors of Architecture in 1948. Following his graduation, Albert was on the faculty of Pratt Institute in NYC where he taught Architectural Presentation. In 1959, along with his partners, Albert opened the award-winning Architectural/Engineering firm of Benoist, Goldberg and Shapiro in Union, NJ, a collaboration which spanned over 40 years and generated innovative designs for buildings throughout the country. Albert was also an accomplished photographer, sculptor, painter and illustrator. A compendium of his visual art, Off the Wall, was recently published. In his later years, Albert grew increasingly concerned about the state of our economy recognizing it as unsustainable. Much of his energy was devoted to promoting a new world-view and economic system detailed in his book entitled The Vertical System. Albert and his wife Joan have been involved with numerous cultural organizations, including the New Jersey State Orchestra, The Monmouth Civic Ballet, The Metro Lyric Opera and The Monmouth Beach Cultural Center. He was President of the Monmouth Beach Historical Society and an active member of the Monmouth Beach Veterans and the Sandpipers. He was a member of the American Institute of Architects. Albert's most recent achievement was the creation of the Benoist Music Scholarship at Monmouth University in honor of his father, André Benoist. Shortly before his death, Albert was delighted to learn that the first scholarship had been awarded.

Albert is predeceased by his parents, Alice and André Benoist; his sisters, Louise Phillips and Barnetta Keuper and his daughter, Krisha Benoist-Allen. He is survived by his loving wife, Joan, and his daughters, Andrée Benoist and her husband Joseph Colquhoun of Atlantic Highlands, Alicia Benoist and her husband Russell Dian of New York City; his granddaughter, Ariel Allen, and his grandsons, Michael, Peter and Christopher Hagan.

A memorial gathering will be held Monday, September 24, 2012 from 2 - 3pm followed by a celebration of Albert's life at 3pm at the Braun Funeral Home, 106 Broad Street, Eatontown. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Monmouth Beach Cultural Center, 128 Ocean Avenue, Monmouth Beach, NJ 07750 and the Monmouth County SPCA, 260 Wall Street, Eatontown, NJ 07724.