Tributes

Robert (Bob) Bryan, AIA, passed away in his sleep in Philadelphia at the age of 90 in the morning of January 17, 2025. He lived a full and wonderful life. He began his journey on September 14, 1934 in Oakland, California, and grew up in nearby Santa Rosa with his parents Oscar William Bryan and Dorothy Bryan (nee Blyberg). He worked his way through Stanford University, where he studied architecture and engineering and was a member of the Sigma Rho chapter of DKE. Upon graduation he was called up to serve in the US army and was stationed in Germany (a year before Elvis). He settled in Stuttgart to work for his mentor Rolf Gutbrod, a prominent German architect. Career, marriages, kids, and life’s great twists took him on a journey bouncing around the world from Germany, to Montreal, back to California, then to New York, Iran, London, and again to New York, before he settled at the age of 60 in Haverford and Philadelphia to be with his new wife, Julie A. Jensen. He learned to love playing Court Tennis, and played at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia where he and Julie became enthusiastic supporters of this ancient game. He was also fond of playing Lawn Tennis at the Merion Cricket Club, and could be found wielding a cue at the pool table at the Philadelphia and Racquet Clubs. At his recent 90th birthday, he still held the table against the rest of his family’s best attempts to challenge his aim and steady hand, a skill honed as a teenager on his personally restored full-sized snooker table. As an architect, Robert worked on a variety of illustrious projects including the German Pavilion at the 1967 Montreal Expo, The Kings Oﬃces in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a master plan for the museum complex in Berlin Germany, barracks for the Army of the Shah of Iran and the Stuttgart home of F.A.E Porsche. Of all these projects, however, the one that gave him the greatest satisfaction was in designing his personal residence where, at 70, he learned to master computer aided drafting and combined the three apartments that he shared with his wife in the Society Hill Towers. Robert enjoyed all the pleasures life could oﬀer. He would often be seen reading multiple books, magazines, crosswords and puzzles, while enjoying a glass of wine or occasional harder snort. He loved ﬁlm, television and the theatre equally and was a ﬁxture in the local art scene. He and Julie were ardent supporters of the Philadelphia Art Museum, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Print Center. He was Honorary President of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Club of New York and served for nearly 30 years on the Design Board of Society Hill Towers. His laughter and joy were ubiquitous and he would always reach out to everyone both new or familiar to say just the thing to bring smiles to their faces. He will forever be remembered as the ultimate deﬁnition of a charming gentleman. He will be missed by many including his wife Julie Jensen Bryan, his daughters Franziska and Nicole in Germany, his son Babak in Charleston, SC, their spouses, his grand- and great- grandchildren, and the many dear friends he made throughout his life’s journey. He has ﬁlled all our hearts with his warmth. May he rest eternally in the comfort of the love that he brought, he inspired and he helped spread. A private memorial service to honor his memory will be held in the spring. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to either the Philadelphia Museum of Art, PAFA, or the Print Center of Philadelphia.

Tributes

Robert Bryan

September 14, 1934 - January 17, 2025