Dallas has lost one of its architecture titans. Mark Humphreys passed away following a lengthy health battle last week. He was 67.
Humphreys founded his eponymous Humphreys & Partners Architects in 1991. The Dallas-based firm specializes in apartment, condo, and mixed-use development around the globe. The company has almost a dozen offices in the U.S., South America, and Asia.
“Mark was an amazing person, businessman, and architect, who truly built a legacy that will last for many years to come,” said business partner Walter Hughes in a statement. “To me, he was a friend, and I will miss him most for that. We are deeply saddened by this loss of an industry icon.”
In 1995, HPA revolutionized multifamily design when one of his designers created plans for an apartment complex that looked like an upscale single-family community. The design was dubbed “The Big House,” and soon adopted as an industry standard.
Some of the firm’s best-known local multifamily projects include One Uptown apartment tower on McKinney Ave., Avenues at Craig Ranch in McKinney, Hebron 121 Station in Lewisville, Lakeside Tower in Grapevine, and Frisco Square in Frisco.
“Mark was a visionary and a great mentor and business partner, who could clearly see the future of multifamily architectural design and then bring it to life with incredible business acumen,” said longtime HPA colleague Greg Faulkner, who joined the firm in 1991. ”He completely transformed the business and creative aspects of architecture in the multifamily industry. He will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live on for a long time through the firm and its employees.”
D CEO profiled Humphreys in 2015 and wrote about his $1.5 million gift to his alma mater, Texas Tech. To honor him, the school created the AIA (American Institute of Architects) Mark E. Humphreys Chair in Urban Design, which supports research and study in the field.
Humphreys said at the time: “I wake up every day excited about the next. I’m driven to grow this [business] so much larger geographically and product-wise. It’s really exciting to see everything our people are creating. We have been given a gift. We’re not going to sit back on our laurels.”
Read How Mark Humphreys Built an Architectural Empire from the D CEO archives.
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