Robert Aiken Obituary

Name: Celebration of Life for Robert Aiken
Start: 2023-07-29T15:00:00.000Z
Location: Episcopal Church of the Mediator,

AIKEN, Robert Bryan

Robert Bryan Aiken of Washington, Georgia and Highlands, NC died peacefully at home on July 4, 2023. He was the son of Hugh Fraser Aiken and Claire McGinnis Aiken of Saint Simons Island, GA. He attended Glenn Academy and the University of Georgia, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in landscape architecture and was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.

Robert partnered with some of the premier landscape architects in the South and worked on a variety of landmark projects from celebrated North Atlanta estates to the Atlanta airport. His passion was the meticulous renovation and restoration of the historic homes and gardens he owned with his life partner, the legendary Atlanta designer and event planner, Robert Griggs. Starting with their pioneering work on the revitalization of Inman Park in the 1960s and the renovation of the classic Queen Anne Victorian Beath-Dickey House on Euclid Avenue, the pair went on to restore magnificent properties in Savannah and Washington, GA and an idyllic mountain cottage in Highlands NC.

While their homes and antique collections were impressive by any measure, the magic they created with their warm and graceful hospitality was unparalleled. From the simplest picnic with red checked table cloths, daisies and mimosas served in Ball jars to lavish candlelit evenings with roaring fires, red roses, champagne and caviar, every gathering was a memorable affair.

Robert and Robert collected friends from all walks of life and created a community around a common cause in Inman Park. Today the neighborhood continues to thrive as a unique blend of its bohemian and aristocratic pasts with a diverse and inclusive collection of characters that still stop to visit each other on their front porches. It is a legacy that Robert loved.

Robert is survived by his brother, King Van Buren Aiken, Sr. and his wife, Louise; nieces, Katherine Aiken and Lucy Aiken Johnson; and nephew, King Aiken; Scott, Michael and Jeffrey Ramsaur; Susan Griggs and his beloved dog, Honey Bear. He is also survived by a host of loving relatives and friends.

His celebration of life will be held on Saturday, July 29, 2023, 11:00 AM at the Episcopal Church of the Mediator, 214 East Robert Toombs Ave., Washington, GA 30673.

In lieu of flowers, Robert requested that donations be made to an animal rescue charity of choice.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Jul. 16, 2023.

Memories and Condolences
for Robert Aiken

4 Entries

Kwesi DeGraft-Hanson

July 13, 2024

I can hear Mr. Robert Aiken's voice ... as if it were yesterday, and not 1996. I can see him, standing tall in the doorway of his office at Bishop Planning Co. near 17th Street at Peachtree Street in Atlanta. As usual, Sir Robert is stroking his impressive, voluminous moustache as he advises us on a project we're doing. He was a stickler on getting the job done right, and on time, but he always had humor and class, and ensured that our workplace was as much fun and exciting as it was productive and professional. Mr. Robert Aiken, may you continue to rest in peace, and may all your loved ones be comforted.

Kwesi DeGraft-Hanson

November 6, 2023

I had the pleasure of working with Robert Aiken at Bishop Planning Company in Atlanta in the early 1990s. It was a landscape architecture and planning firm that was blessed to work on three 1996 Olympic Games venues, amongst other institutional, recreational and commercial projects. In the busy-ness and pressures of those heady days, we could count on Robert to make us all laugh and shake off our stressors. Robert was a consummate southern gentleman. Charming, funny, and brilliant. He was also very generous and friendly. We all at BPC learned a lot from Robert Aiken; he taught us much about our profession, landscape architecture, and also about taking time to smell life's roses. He would sometimes walk in with some fragrant flowers from his garden, sniffing them as he came in, and proffering them to us all ... and he relished his beautiful, classic automobiles. Rest in peace, sir. Thanks for all the laughter and lessons.

Doug and Kathi Sanders

July 18, 2023

Robert was extremely generous to us during our years in Inman Park. He landscaped our front and back yards including the addition of an attractive front wall. He, and his partner, Robert Griggs, also made numerous suggestions on renovating and decorating our home. They sold us several large oil paintings at friendly "neighborhood prices." We always loved dinners with them at our home or at "Belle Wretch," the name they gave to their beautifully restored Queen Anne home on Euclid Avenue. Robert Aiken was a kind and generous person and he and Robert Griggs set an elegant tone for the neighborhood.

Gail

July 16, 2023

Handsome, elegant, gracious are just a few of the words I would use to describe my friend Robert Aiken. He and Robert Griggs knew how to entertain like no others. I am so thankful that they moved to Washington and shared their brilliance with our town.

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