Antoine Predock was an architect known for his landscape-inspired buildings in the American Southwest and around the world.
- Died: March 2, 2024 (Who else died on March 2?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 87.
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Antoine Predock’s legacy
Born in Missouri, Predock fell in love with both the Southwest and architecture while attending college. He went to the University of New Mexico initially to study engineering, but a design course sparked the passion that would lead to his life’s work. After transferring to Columbia University to complete his studies, then working on the east coast and abroad, Predock returned to New Mexico and made it his home for the rest of his life. There, he designed buildings inspired by the Southwest desert, as well as a wide variety of modern structures for locations worldwide.
Among Predock’s earliest notable works was the La Luz del Oeste neighborhood in Albuquerque, a planned community now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Predock designed La Luz in harmony with the local climate and landscape, adding features that minimized the effects of the desert’s extreme temperature and winds without fighting against them. That harmony with the landscape would become a hallmark of Predock’s work, seen in his buildings across the Southwest, as well as in China, France, Canada, Taiwan, and elsewhere.
Predock also designed Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, and brought the Southwest to France with his Hotel Sante Fe at Disneyland Paris. His work is in use at many colleges and universities, including his alma mater, the University of New Mexico’s School of Architecture, as well as at Stanford University, Ohio State University, Colorado College, and others. In 2014, the Predock-designed Canadian Museum for Human Rights opened in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He called the building his favorite design, and his vision for the museum takes visitors on a journey from underground to the top of the museum’s Tower of Hope.
Most recently, Predock designed residences in New Mexico and Costa Rica, and he worked on the in-progress Albuquerque Rail Trail. He was honored with a Gold Medal by the American Institute of Architects, the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, and other distinctions.
Notable quote
“The role of an architect is to be true to his/her mission. My mission is to mess with people, in a good way. [Laughs.] No, not really – to surprise them, enrich their experience and maybe even to shock a bit.” —from a 2020 interview for Arch Daily
Tributes to Antoine Predock
Full obituary: Albuquerque Journal
