On Feb. 27, architectural historian, journalist, author, and educator Richard Ingersoll died at the age of 72 in Spain following complications from a femur fracture, which led to complications with COVID-19, according to Arquitectura Viva, which reported his death on Feb. 28. Renowned for his spirited manner of teaching and speaking along with his insightful contributions to architectural publications, including Arquitectura Viva, Domus, Lotus, Il Giornale di Architettura, Bauwelt, World Architecture (Beijing), and C3 (Seoul), Ingersoll also wrote frequently in Architecture and its successor, ARCHITECT.
Born in San Francisco in 1949, Ingersoll spent much of his life in Italy, leaving the University of California, Berkeley to live there in his early 20s. Ingersoll eventually returned to the Berkeley, where he studied under architectural historian Spiro Kostof and earned his doctorate in architectural history in 1985. Ingersoll served as the editor-in-chief of Design Book Review from 1983 to 1998, and taught at Rice University as an associate professor from 1986 to 1997. Ingersoll left Rice to return to Tuscany, where he taught at Syracuse University’s Florence architecture program.
From Florence, Ingersoll continued his work and travels, writing for publications including Arquitectura Viva and Domus. Ingersoll was the author of several notable books, including World Architecture: A Cross-Cultural History (Oxford University Press, 2012)—an update of Kostoff’s A History of Architecture (Oxford University Press, 1985)—and Sprawltown: Looking for the City on Its Edges (Princeton Architectural Press, 2006). In Sprawltown, Ingersoll introduced the concept of Agricivismo, in which urban farming might help control sprawl. In 2018, Ingersoll completed a second edition of World Architecture.
Over the years, Ingersoll developed a strong affection from Spain, where he restored a house in Huebro and spent his final days, according to Arquitectura Viva.
The architectural community is mourning the loss on social media.
My friend Richard Ingersoll died yesterday. Here he is in dialogue with Rem Koolhaas in 2016: https://t.co/rQEZpZrxV0
— John J. Parman (@j2parman) February 28, 2021
My very dear friend Richard died this weekend. Here’s a short tribute to him and a link out to a recent article he wrote about infrastructure and ecology: engaged, practical and wide ranging. Farewell Richard Ingersoll (1949-2021) https://t.co/3WPEOJmHvm
— Fabrizio Nevola (@FJNevola) March 1, 2021
La elegancia espiritual. Richard Ingersoll, 1949-2021
— Arquitectura Viva (@arquitect_viva) March 3, 2021
Luis Fernández-Galiano
“Con la muerte de Richard Ingersoll esta revista muere también un poco. AV publicó su primer artÃculo en 1987…” https://t.co/29RUJ1Zcii pic.twitter.com/zlRPjsJJ0e
So sad to learn of the death of architectural historian Richard Ingersoll 😢💔 https://t.co/aSHlIzk9ZK
— Annmarie Adams (@AdamsAnnmarie) March 1, 2021
Just learned that Richard Ingersoll, who edited the awesome Design Book Review with @j2parman and others, died on Saturday. Brief story in yesterday's @DomusWeb: https://t.co/LQHy3v03Dp
— John Hill (@archidose) March 2, 2021