Retired Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Associate Partner Louis Skidmore, Jr. passed away on March 31, 2023, in Houston at the age of 89. Louis joined the firm in 1963 and was instrumental in establishing SOM’s Houston office in 1977.
Louis Skidmore, Jr. was born in Chicago in January 1934, into the family of SOM’s founders—he was the son of Louis Skidmore and the nephew of Nathaniel Owings. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Physics at St. Lawrence University and a Master of Architecture degree at Yale University, he began his career at the G.A. Fuller Company and worked with architect Paul Rudolph.
Louis started his career at SOM in the Chicago office, beginning as a Project Manager before being elected to Participating Associate in 1966 and Associate Partner in 1969. During this time, he worked on projects all over the United States, including the Connecticut Mutual Building in Chicago, Pillsbury Center in Minneapolis, and the Hartford Steam Boiler Headquarters in Hartford, Connecticut.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, SOM completed a number of landmark towers in Houston, including the First City National Bank in 1961, Tenneco Headquarters in 1963, and One Shell Plaza in 1972. Understanding the need to establish a robust, multidisciplinary office in the Southwest, the partnership appointed Louis, along with Richard Keating, a designer who also worked at SOM’s office in Chicago, to co-found the Houston office.
The office quickly brought in young talent, grew in stature, and attracted clients throughout Texas and the nation. Louis practiced an approach of inclusion where all team members, independent of experience level, were treated with respect and valued for their contribution. Among Louis’ major projects were Allied Bank Tower and San Felipe Plaza in Houston, the Mercantile Bank and Trust Building in San Antonio, the Texas Commerce Bank and the law offices of Vinson Elkins in Dallas, the law offices of Baker Botts in Washington D.C., the Sun Bank Center in Orlando, and the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis.
With the collapse of oil prices in the late 1980s, followed by a broad U.S. economic downturn, SOM reconsolidated its national leadership to San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. The talent hired in Houston subsequently became national leaders in architecture, interior design, and structural engineering across SOM, as well as in other design-focused practices.
Louis, his wife, Margaret, and their children developed deep roots in Houston and decided to stay in the city long-term. Margaret was active in the arts scene as the Director of Development for the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and Louis continued to work for many years as a business development consultant for SOM in the Houston area. Together, they were both prominent and beloved figures in the Houston art and architecture community.
Louis will be dearly missed by his colleagues at SOM. He was a loyal friend, and we extend our condolences and deepest sympathies to his family.
