Remembering Ted Christner, 92

Alumnus Ted Christner, former National Council member and longtime supporter of the Sam Fox School, died Sept. 7. He was 92.

Christner was born in Quincy, Illinois and graduated from the WashU School of Architecture in 1957 before founding Christner Architects in 1963. He grew the firm, which recently joined with CannonDesign, to one of the largest and most respected in the region. Among many notable projects, Christner led the preservation of several St. Louis landmarks, including the Jewel Box in Forest Park, the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Expansion.

Christner was a longtime supporter of WashU and the Sam Fox School, serving on the Architecture National Council and the Sam Fox School National Council from its inception until 2015. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of Architecture in 1999.

The firm regularly hosts WashU graduate architecture students as CityStudioSTL Fellows during the summer to work on community-based projects in the region.

Memorial donations can be made to Forest Park Forever or to the Sam Fox School’s Christner Scholarship in architecture. To contribute, checks may be made out to Washington University with “GF0006500, Christner Scholarship” in the memo line. Mail to the Sam Fox School at 7425 Forsyth Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63105. Or, donations may be made online.

More on Ted Christner’s life and career can be found at christnerarchitects.com.