John W. Sugden

John W. Sugden FAIA, 1922-2003  Those who knew something of the architectural history of Salt Lake City and many who knew John W. Sugden as a teacher, colleague, and friend will be saddened to learn of his passing on February 14, 2003. John was the first born to John and Roberta Edmunds Sugden in Chicago on July 17, 1922. His father was then in medical school. The Sugdens returned to ancestral Salt Lake City following his matriculation. The family's roots extend, through Roberta, back to the mid-1800s and early pioneer days in Utah. John grew up under the influence of his father, by then a practicing physician surgeon but also a scientifically trained naturalist and of his grandfather, a pattern maker and also a naturalist. John accompanied his father on far-reaching egg- and insect-collecting excursions, learning Utah birds and the geography and scenic beauty of many corners of the State. Known as "Jack" to family and close friends, he was a mountain athlete and among the first skiers in Utah. He attended East High School and graduated with an interest in aeronautical engineering. World War II began shortly thereafter. Along with many other Utah men, John enlisted in the Army's prestigious 10th Mountain Division and spent his first war months as a field instructor, passing along his skiing and rock climbing skills to other recruits. Active duty sent him to the front lines in Italy. There, John's division was instrumental in liberating the Po Valley from the Nazis, a key military action that hastened the end of the war in southern Europe. He earned a number of citations, including the Silver Star. It was amusing to him that although officially awarded to him as a soldier, his medals were not delivered until he requested them from the government nearly 40 years later. In his post-war life John spoke ardently about the futility of violence and the complicity of politicians and religious extremists in war. John returned to be decommissioned from the Army just before V-E day and was briefly stationed in his birth city of Chicago, where his sister Norma was then enrolled at the Art Institute. While in Chicago John visited Milwaukee to pay respects to the family of his war buddy Jake Nunnemacher who was killed in action. He there met Jake's sister, Audrey Nunnemacher, whom he soon married and with whom he later fathered two sons, Evan and Mathew. Also in Chicago he had unexpected and auspicious encounters with the famous ex-patriot European architects Ludwig Hilberseimer and Mies van der Rohe. John's professional training took off almost instantly, propelled by a strong attraction to their stunning works and compelling modernist ideals. He was hired to assist an urban planning project under "Hilbs" and was soon placed as a student under the tutelage of "Mies". During seven years training he received an undergraduate degree followed by a masters degree in Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology. For a time he worked as a draftsman in Mies's office before returning to Salt Lake City to set up practice in 1952. He was eventually inducted as a fellow into the American Institute of Architecture. John's greatest contributions to society were his architecture and his teaching, which are to be reviewed in a separate article by his colleagues. Briefly, however, John was among the last disciples of Mies and the Bauhaus-inspired modernists. Their influence of a highly technological yet theoretically simple approach and its application in glass-and-steel modular forms can be seen today in many of the stunning, timeless Utah buildings that John designed. Particularly well known are the Merrill Engineering building at the University of Utah and the new addition to the Alta Lodge at Alta. His repertoire of larger works was complemented by many private residences employing the same "glass box" theme. The most visible of these is the home/studio of John and his present wife, Jutta just south of Parley's Summit along I-80 (reviewed in Salt Lake Tribune, January 13th, 1985). John's buildings have been published in many national and international journals. It was a source of anguish to John that for many years the lessons of the modernists were undervalued and even maligned by some in his discipline. However, he assiduously maintained the philosophies that were his gift. In his last years John had been uplifted by a general resurgence of interest in Mies and his work. In keeping with the Bauhaus concept of the linkage between art and architecture, John augmented his architectural drafting with his skills as a painter, producing drawings, oils, and acrylics. His last works comprise a series of innovative murals done on three-dimensional, "warped" canvases. John was invited to deliver guest lectures at the University of Utah in the mid-1960s. This ultimately led to his installment as a professor in the architecture department, soon taking under his wing a steady flow of students in the all-graduate program. Many of these have since become professionally renowned in their own names. He served in various University committees, including the faculty senate. John retired from teaching as an emeritus professor in 1993 after 25 years of academic service. Although retired, his expository abilities remained vital. More than once while touring architectural exhibits he broke into spontaneous public expose on modern architecture, drawing crowds of riveted onlookers, some with little previous interest in the field.  He always struck a wise and inspiring figure. John was 80 years old and had been frustrated by a series of ailments. Although his last prognosis was good, he had been irreversibly weakened by his ordeal and died apparently peacefully in his sleep. He is survived by his sisters Norma Macdonald (artist, teacher) and Betsy Eastman (art collector, volunteer docent) and their families, his wife, Jutta Alwang Sugden (graphic artist, Studio JJ), his step son by that marriage, Jean-Claude Siegrist (architect, video artist), and two sons, Mathew (risk analyst, American Express Corp.) and Evan (entomologist, lecturer, University of Washington). As per John's wishes there will be no formal ceremony. (by Evan A. Sugden)