Peter Reynolds Lovell, age 74, architect from Charlestown, Massachusetts, died of cancer Nov. 27, 2023, peacefully, with family members at his side.
He was born on May 10, 1949, in Garrison, New York, second son of Laura Gere Lovell and James Reynolds Lovell, and one of four brothers. He grew up there, attending Highland Falls High School and Duchess Community College before transferring to Franconia College in New Hampshire. There he both studied architecture with Ron Haase and worked as “clerk of the works” on many college building projects.
He studied to achieve his architecture license and worked for Huygens Dimella Associates and Banwell, White and Arnold before striking out on his own as a partner in Mann & Lovell, Inc. and as a solo practitioner in Boston, Massachusetts.
His many projects included: individual residences; master plans, student centers, auditoriums and dormitories for educational institutions, medical offices, and long-term care facilities. With Mann & Lovell, he worked on the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. In his own firm, he designed corporate projects and worked on assignments at MIT. He hired and trained many aspiring architects and designers.
Along the way, Peter had many adventures. As a young man, he was second mate on the Clearwater, when the 106-foot sloop and its founder, singer Pete Seeger, became the symbol for cleaning up the Hudson River and other waterways. This took him on related travels, including time in the British Isles, where he became an enthusiast of British folk music and adept at the concertina.
Peter was known as a loyal family member and friend, ever attentive to his brothers and their families, his many cousins and a close circle of friends. He will be remembered for his constancy, kindness and impeccable manners and style of dress. He was a great fan of opera and loved to introduce family members to the Metropolitan Opera and to attend Glimmerglass in the summers.
He was an accomplished sailor and taught his nephews on his Laser. An expert draftsman and user of computer programs for design, he produced many drawings, now treasured by family members and clients. He collected an extensive library of architectural books, which was recently donated to the Architectural Studies Program at Middlebury College in Vermont.
He was pre-deceased by his parents, his brothers John Prescott Lovell and James Gere Lovell, and nephew Evan McCulloch Lovell. He will be greatly missed by his brother Christopher of Montpelier, Vermont, sister-in-law Ellen and nephew Evan’s family — wife Kristi Brown Lovell and grandnieces Lucia, Isobel and Evelyn; his sister-in-law Kim Pfautz of Underwood, Washington; sister-in-law Nancy Montgomery of Cold Spring, New York; niece Brooke Lovell, and nephews Finn, Jack, and Hudson Lovell.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Peter R. Lovell Memorial Library and the Architectural Studies Program at Middlebury College, 14 Old Chapel Road, Middlebury, VT 05753. A memorial service will be held in the spring.
