Cecil L. Striker, celebrated architectural historian and Penn professor emeritus, has died at 91

Cecil L. Striker, 91, of Philadelphia, world-renowned architectural historian, archaeologist, and professor emeritus of art history at the University of Pennsylvania, died Monday, Jan. 8, of age-associated decline at Pennsylvania Hospital.

An expert on the architecture of the Byzantine period in Europe and Asia Minor, and a tireless excavator, Dr. Striker and his team famously explored and restored Kanderhane Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, from 1966 to 1978, and unearthed treasured antiquities that set the historical world on its ear.

He and his co-director discovered, among other things, remains from between the fourth and 15th centuries that included a Roman bath, 13th-century frescoes, two previous churches, and a one-of-a-kind religious mosaic. The findings were hailed by colleagues as “momentous,” and they called it “the most extensive combined archaeological exploration and historic preservation carried out on a Byzantine building in Istanbul, and one of the largest anywhere.”

Fellow professor and former student Kostis Kourelis said Dr. Striker’s work in Istanbul “played a seminal role in ensuring that the late 20th century would be a golden age of Byzantine studies in North America.”

Dr. Striker published his findings in 1997 and 2007, and colleagues said his “meticulous analysis of physical remains can transform our reading of buildings and, therefore, our understanding of global history.” He also excavated other churches and buildings, worked on the rail tunnel project in Istanbul, and introduced computer technology, statistical analysis, and tree ring dating techniques to archaeological projects.

He completed an extensive online interview in 2012 for the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library in Washington, and collected his personal papers at the Penn Museum.

Dr. Striker joined Penn as an associate professor in the History of Art department in 1968 and became a full professor in 1978. He served as department chair for a time and designed new graduate courses in art and archaeology of the Mediterranean world.

He taught at Vassar College from 1962 until leaving for Penn, and his colleagues celebrated his 2001 retirement by publishing a collection of his work in 2005 called Archaeology in Architecture: Studies in Honor of Cecil L. Striker. He founded the Council of American Overseas Research Centers, was president of the American Research Institute in Turkey, and was active with the Society of Architectural Historians.

He lectured often around the world and was quoted in Architectural Record magazine and other publications. He won awards, earned grants and fellowships, and served as art historian-in-residence at the American Academy in Rome.

“He loved his own teachers. Some of them were idols, and he wanted to give his knowledge to his students,” said his wife, Ute. “He loved the rapport between students and teachers.”

Cecil Leopold Striker was born July 15, 1932, in Cincinnati. He entered Oberlin College in Ohio as a premed student but a chemistry class piqued his interest in art history, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1954.

He enlisted in the Army Counterintelligence Corps during the Korean War and, knowing he needed to speak German in the archaeological world, spent three years in Germany learning the language. He earned a master’s degree and doctorate in art history at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, and also studied at Harvard University and later at universities in Germany.

He met Ute Stephan, a German student of art history and languages, in Istanbul, and they married in 1968 in Washington. They lived in West Philadelphia and Center City after he joined Penn.

Dr. Striker and his wife, a professor at Haverford College, hosted countless gatherings with other professors and intellectuals, and their home was known by friends as the local “Byzantine Bed and Breakfast.” He played guitar in a jazz combo at Oberlin and listened to classical music by Johannes Brahms as often as possible.

He and his wife traveled often, and family and friends called him Lee.

“He loved Penn,” said his wife. “He loved teaching and was outgoing with his students. He read everything he could about his field. He was a very interesting man.”

In addition to his wife, Dr. Striker is survived by other relatives. A brother died earlier.

A celebration of his life is to be held later.

Donations in his name may be made to the American Research Institute in Turkey, 3260 South St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19104; and the University of Pennsylvania, Department of History of Art, Office of Advancement, 3600 Market St., Suite 300, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104.