J. Frank Fitzgibbons, 64; Modernist Architect on MOCA’s Design Council

J. Frank Fitzgibbons, 64, a modernist architect and leader of the Architectural Foundation of Los Angeles, died Nov. 7 in Los Angeles following a lengthy illness.

Educated at the University of Michigan, Fitzgibbons began his career working with such architects as Marcel Breuer and Richard Meier.

He came to Los Angeles in 1978 and established his own firm in 1985. Specializing in custom contemporary design, he created private homes in Silver Lake, Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica, and redesigned such commercial venues as Stanley’s Restaurant & Bar in Woodland Hills.

Fitzgibbons was a longtime board member and former president of the Architectural Foundation of Los Angeles, and also served on the Design Council of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. John Jacob Hekhuis, current president of the foundation, credited Fitzgibbons with conceiving events by the organization and MOCA to honor local architects and designers who had received awards.

Fitzgibbons planned the events in 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999, Hekhuis said, to increase the visibility of Los Angeles as a major center for design innovation and creativity.