Peter Saylor, longtime Philadelphia architect, civic leader, and mentor, has died at 81

Peter Saylor, 81, of Philadelphia, longtime architect, civic leader, and mentor, died Thursday, June 1, of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at Foulkeways at Gwynedd retirement community.

A discerning architectural designer for more than five decades, Mr. Saylor had an impact on the Philadelphia cityscape that can be seen in Old City, Center City, West Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill, and dozens of other sites around town. He specialized in renovating historic buildings, especially for museums and universities, and his local projects include work at the Woodmere Art Museum, Franklin Institute, Philadelphia Zoo, University of Pennsylvania, and Drexel University.

Nicknamed the “museum doctor,” he created new spaces in the Academy of Natural Sciences and other Philadelphia museums, and at museums in New Mexico and Bethlehem, Pa. From 1967 to 2020, he worked for Mitchell Giurgola Architects, was a partner at DagitSaylor and SaylorGregg, and finally a principal at JacobsWyper.

Former colleagues called him an “extraordinary human being” and said he was adept at making clients feel heard and building consensus among stakeholders. In creating a vision for his designs, Mr. Saylor liked to meet those who worked or lived in the buildings, discover their architectural preferences and objectives, and examine the building’s compatibility with the neighborhood.

“We view every project as a unique set of circumstances,” Mr. Saylor said in an online interview with the Philadelphia-based American Bible Society. “These are not problems to overcome but rather opportunities to explore.”

In an online tribute, a fellow architect marveled at how Mr. Saylor could “magically translate [a client’s] words into architecture through his wonderful quick sketches. … He knew instinctively what solutions would benefit clients.”

In 2008, Inga Saffron, The Inquirer’s architecture critic, reviewed Mr. Saylor’s renovation of the former First National Bank at Third and Chestnut Streets and said: “Saylor, who has become something of a museum doctor for Philadelphia’s dusty exhibit halls, has given the battered bank a glistening new interior that is so ethereal and restrained, it virtually dissolves into [architect John] McArthur’s granite walls. It is a crisp, clear piece of work.”

In 2005, when Mr. Saylor designed an expansion of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts on North Broad Street, Saffron said: “Saylor has done an elegant job of carving out modern gallery space for the least modern of American art institutions.”

He often suggested a mix of historic and modern architecture in his renovations, and told The Inquirer in 1991 that the country’s 1976 bicentennial celebration “really got Americans to look again at their historical roots.” In 2019, he wrote a 900-word essay for the Chestnut Hill Local newspaper in which he explained how homeowners could best repair their buildings to retain a historic façade.

He was former president of the Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and Chestnut Hill Historical Society. He was on the boards at the Chestnut Hill Conservancy, Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks, and Foundation for Architecture.

He mentored high school students at architectural workshops and was active at the Art Museum, Philadelphia Cricket Club, Carpenter’s Co., and other civic groups. “He was a collaborator before it was something people did,” said his daughter Libby.

“I will always think of Peter as the most important mentor of my career and a good friend,” a former colleague said.

Peter Martin Saylor was born July 26, 1941, in Philadelphia and knew when he was in the sixth grade that he wanted to make buildings. He moved with his family to Ardmore, graduated from Lower Merion High School, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture at Penn.

He spent two years in the Peace Corps after college, was stationed in Gabon in central Africa, and constructed a two-room schoolhouse and a teacher’s home during his time there. He met Caroline Metcalf on a blind date, and they married in 1970. They lived in Center City, Wyndmoor, and Chestnut Hill, and had son Tom and daughter Libby.

Mr. Saylor enjoyed gardening and arranging flowers. He was social, made friends easily, and hosted memorable pool parties in Chestnut Hill.

He judged holiday decoration displays for the Center City Proprietors Association, built extravagant sandcastles on the beach, and designed little towns of blocks and toy train tracks with his grandchildren.

» READ MORE: Peter Saylor gives new life to old bank

His family said they will always remember his “gentle soul, unwavering support, and unconditional love.” His daughter said: “He was warm and kind.”

In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Saylor is survived by three grandchildren, two brothers, a sister, and other relatives.

A funeral service is to be at 11 a.m. Friday, June 16, at the Church of the Holy Trinity, 1904 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103.

Donations in his name may be made to the Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania, 102 Meyerson Hall, 210 South 34th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104; and the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave. Floor 17, Chicago, Ill. 60601.