AIA remembers pioneering architect Marsha Ann Maytum, FAIA

Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects announced the February 10, 2024, passing of its co-founder Marsha Ann Maytum, FAIA. The former AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) chair died from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). 

Colleagues and friends are celebrating her achievements and the legacy she built within the profession to impact change through mission-driven design.

“Her drive to create architecture for everyone led to several first-of-their-kind projects serving people with disabilities, including Sweetwater Spectrum in Sonoma, Calif., a new residential model for people living on the Autism spectrum,” said Kira Gould, Hon. AIA, in a statement. “She dedicated her career to dismantling the split between design and environmental and social issues. She transcended the day-to-day practice of architecture, thinking and acting more broadly on behalf of the future of the profession. This manifested in tireless advocacy work through The American Institute of Architects and other groups, and numerous trips to the Hill in Washington, DC, to talk with legislators about design, climate, health, and community.”

AIA President Kimberly Dowdell, AIA, NOMAC, said the spaces Maytum created for underserved communities are a testament to her belief in the power of architecture to affect positive change, and Dowdell recognized her significant contributions to AIA.

"Marsha's selfless engagement and volunteerism made AIA a better organization. Her dedicated service on AIA's Committee on the Environment, culminating in her chairing the committee in 2019, showed her commitment to the profession and to the environment. She was instrumental in the adoption of the Framework for Design Excellence by the AIA Board," said Dowdell.  "Our current strategic plan’s focus on mitigating climate change can be directly attributed to Marsha’s passion and leadership during the 2019 Annual Business Meeting."

While chairing COTE, Maytum was instrumental in the Institute’s adoption of the 2019 Resolution for Urgent and Sustained Climate Action. She also worked to secure support for COTE/ACSA Top Ten for Students Competition, a program now in its tenth year and offered invaluable input to AIA’s Building Committee members on the AIA Headquarters Renewal project.  

“Marsha’s impact on the profession, COTE, and on the communities in which she worked cannot be understated. Through her tenacious advocacy within the AIA, the very definition of design excellence has been expanded to include health, equity, and the environment. Because of Marsha, countless firms are now using the tools created by COTE to help them understand the larger impacts of their work and how to improve outcomes,” said COTE Chair Michelle Amt, AIA. “As if that weren’t enough, her built work serves as model of merging design and performance in ways that joyfully support our most vulnerable community members. For me, personally, and for many others, Marsha demonstrated a different model of how to be an architect: persistent, rigorous, diplomatic, humble, passionate, and kind."

Maytum was a founding principal at Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects with her husband, William Leddy, and their business partner Richard Stacy. The trio has collaborated since 1983 and led their San Franciso-based firm dedicated to addressing issues of resource depletion, climate change, historic preservation, and social equity. Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects was honored in 2017 as AIA’s Architecture Firm Award.