Acclaimed Architect I.M. Pei Dead at 102

The man behind iconic structures like the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, the Four Seasons Hotel in NYC, and the Louvre Pyramid in Paris.

I.M. Pei
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Image via Getty/Paul Hawthorne

I.M. Pei

I.M. Pei, the man who designed some of the world's most iconic buildings, has died at the age of 102.

The architect's son Chien Chung Pei confirmed the news to the New York Times on Thursday.

Pei began his career in the 1940s after receiving a degree in architecture at Harvard. The Chinese-American would go on to create more than 50 structures around the world, including the glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, the Four Seasons Hotel in NYC, and the JFK Library in Boston.

His work also garnered prestigious awards, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the highly coveted Pritzker Prize.

Pei moved was born in Guangzhou, China, and moved to the United States in 1935. He would go to attend  the University of Pennsylvania and MIT, before graduating from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Fans and figures in the architecture world paid tribute Pei on social media. You can read some of their messages below.

‘Life is architecture and architecture is the mirror of life’
REST IN PEACE IM PEI (1917-2019) https://t.co/ah82SFFKfI
📐 pic.twitter.com/z58t2dCD0s

— The Architectural Review (@ArchReview) May 16, 2019

That we should all live such long and productive lives as IM Pei. His masterpiece, the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art in Washington houses two of my favourite paintings: Gorky's Waterfall and Picasso's Family of Saltimbanques.

— Alen Mattich (@AlenMattich) May 16, 2019

Goodbye IM Pei, long may your buildings inspire new generations of architects as they inspired me and countless others...
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Image unknown source pic.twitter.com/M9o9RmB9ib

— Adam Nathaniel Furman🪬 (@Furmadamadam) May 16, 2019

Here is to the great #IMPei. 1917-2019. pic.twitter.com/soVa0jhc0L

— Mayank Chhaya, Journalist (@MayankChhaya) May 16, 2019

Very sad to hear the passing of I.M. Pei. The glass pyramid proposal for the Louvre and the atrium of The Bank of China in HK have been influential to me to become an #architect. RIP. #architecture #impei #glasspyramid #louvre https://t.co/ncad3B8VLi

— Ming Cheng RIBA RTPI (@ArchitectMing) May 16, 2019

RIP IM Pei. When I was born and for the first two years of my life, my family lived in this Pei-designed complex in Hyde Park, Chicago. According to family lore, Jesse Jackson was also a resident. pic.twitter.com/BHuqZJ8Sfh

— Tom Philpott (@tomphilpott) May 16, 2019

Cities across the world ought to consider perhaps darkening their skylines in a moment of remembrance and recognition for the inimitable masterworks of architect #IMPei. Your legacy shall forever soar into the scintillating skies.

— Ryan (@ryepolisciguy) May 16, 2019

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