Robert Barrows Powell

On January 7, 2024, our beloved father, brother, architect, athlete and creative guide, at the age of 85, arrived at the end of his journey here on earth to begin his next journey. He will be reunited with his wife of 57 years, Alexandra Cleveland Powell, who began her journey nine years ago, and surely has a place waiting for him. He will live on forever in our hearts.

He is survived by his much loved children Lisa Lynn, Christine Powell Ward, Julie Barrows Powell and son-in-law Geoffrey Marshall Dick; grandchildren Markus Ward and his wife Jayne, Taylor Graham and her husband Christopher, Jessica Dick, Cameryn Dick and Logan Lynn; great grandchildren Kai Graham, Esme Ward, Cy Ward; and treasured Cleveland nephew and nieces. He is also survived by his cherished brother Stephen Powell.

Born in Rochester, NY, Bob married his high school sweetheart, Alix. They were each other’s soulmate and built a singular life together in Birmingham, Michigan. They raised three daughters, all of whom inherited Bob and Alix’s grace, levity and love of the arts. Bob’s youthful, mischievous spirit, warmth, and sarcasm, was felt by everyone around him. He and Alix were consummate hosts holding beautiful holiday parties each year that people reminisced about for years afterward. They spent fall Saturdays at Michigan football games for decades building a small community with their seat mates. It wasn’t long after meeting Bob that you felt that you were a true friend.

Bob always had a natural talent for drawing and seeing the lines and light that held up the things around us. With the practical, pragmatic, and sensible guidance of his father, Harold, Bob chose to hone those abilities at the University of Michigan School of Architecture and graduate studies at University of Pennsylvania. Bob then began his design career at Albert Kahn in Detroit, Michigan. He went on to become the President and CEO of Jickling, Lyman and Powell, Associates Architects, Troy Michigan and later merged with TMP Architecture, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

As an architect, Bob developed a noble, understated style of design that never chased trends or looked to upstage the elements surrounding his buildings. His designs had powerful forms, often using brick, that created deep recesses and then surprising, playful reveals of light. This subtle, nuanced, and timeless style led him to build a speciality in university architecture, a natural partnership for an institutions looking to design spaces that can hold up for centuries. A few examples of Bob’s architectural legacy: Many buildings on University of Michigan campus including the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, Bentley Historical Library, Medical Science Research Buildings, Stephen M. Ross Academic Center, Glick Field House and numerous buildings with First Martin Corporation, The Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University, and buildings at Saginaw Valley State University, Wayne State University, Hope College and Oakland Community College.

Bob’s other lifelong love was baseball. While he often belied his small stature as preventing him from reaching his true dream of the major leagues, he did set the record as the longest tenured member of the adult men’s Birmingham slow pitch softball league. With the pointed encouragement of his mother, Eunice, to finally “play with kids his own age,” he joined several

senior men’s leagues in Florida and Michigan, where he found his true calling as a designated “runner” for the various team members who could no longer move quite as spryly as the nimble Bob. He eventually brought home medals from the World Senior Games in Las Vegas. Bob was always a valued teammate, who raised the who raised the esprit de corps of any group he was a part of, and was even adopted as a ceremonial team member/score keeper for his grandson, Markus’s, high school baseball team.

Bob was consistently humble and self-effacing regarding his many design awards and athletic accomplishments, constantly heaping praise on those that helped him along the way or discussing the work or game itself. Yet as father, grandfather, and mentor he nurtured the accolades of his family, friends and students. He was a Lawrence Technological University Faculty/Thesis Advisor for over 20 years forging lasting relationships with many students. Even when he rose to President of his firm he never took an office, preferring to work out on the floor with his colleagues, updating his drawings from the simple drafting table he had used for decades.

Bob always chose the scenic route. The journey was never about the destination, but the experience of getting there. To all of his favorites spots in the world, he built paths that meandered to different small towns, greasy spoons, and local sites that added richness and color to the trip. At each of those places Bob quickly became a regular. He loved sharing these discoveries with others, and bringing you into the fascinating world he curated over the years.

If you want to honor Bob, donations in his memory can be made to Michigan Architectural Foundation Scholarship Fund https://michiganarchitecturalfoundation.org/donors/

Additionally, you can honor his spirit by taking a long drive to nowhere in particular on the most scenic, beautiful road you can find. Turn off your phone, put on some music, light a cigar if you enjoy it, stop at that family-owned roadside spot, order the house speciality, and slow down your day. Take it all in.

A celebration of life is planned for this spring