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I've had the privilege of knowing Peter since 1972 when I first joined his firm on Cathedral Street and was paid the princely sum of $300 per month. Pat Simpson (who had worked for Peter over the summer and was returning to Kansas City Art Institute) referred me. It was a turning point in my life as I had just dropped out of a college physics program and was casting about for new direction. Peter was a fine teacher and a year later sent me off with a glowing reference to attend Design School.

In addition to being responsible for my becoming an architect, as fate would have it, five years later Peter intercepted me on my way to Boston and was responsible for my setting roots in NYC. I spent a year reverse commuting to Wayne, NJ with him and most of his architectural dept. (The engineers all lived in NJ while the architects lived in Manhattan.) I remain a New Yorker to this day.

It seems like I followed Peter wherever or whatever he did!

In 1995 when looking for Manhattan office space for a nascent architectural practice, we moved into the Cable Building (alas, Peter had already moved on from there.) Later, in 2002, while researching the US Courthouse at Foley Square designed by Cass Gilbert I stumbled onto one of the more beautifully written and illustrated Historic Structures Reports written by none other than Peter and Barbara...

As I contemplate the arc of my life and how much it was influenced by Peter as a friend and a colleague, I am grateful for his never flagging interest -- I only wish I could have shared more with him.

Tim Allanbrook


~ Suzanne Sease