Gilbert A. Rosenthal, 58, architect

Gilbert A. Rosenthal, 58, of Center City, an architect who specialized in revitalizing cities, died of complications from cancer Monday, June 27, at Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse.

Since 1983, Mr. Rosenthal had been with Wallace, Roberts & Todd, a collaborative practice of architects, designers, and planners in Center City. He was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

"Gil's primary focus on serving the underprivileged defines his life," wrote Joseph W. Healy, managing principal of Wallace, Roberts & Todd. "He leaves an astonishing mark in the rejuvenation of inner-city neighborhoods with affordable housing, the enrichment of school life with the expansion of college and private school campuses and new student-life facilities, and the creation of community centers and senior-living facilities in cities around the country."

Locally, Mr. Rosenthal's projects included Waterfront Square, a condominium complex on reclaimed land on the Delaware River in Old City; the Quadrangle, a retirement community in Haverford; the Valley Creek Corporate Center in Exton, designed to retain open space; and student housing at Ursinus College.

He was involved in the development of low-cost housing in Chester and Camden and in the redevelopment of the Richard Allen Homes in North Philadelphia, for which he received a Progressive Architecture Award.

Unlike some other gifted architects who focus only on their vision, Mr. Rosenthal was willing to engage the community and listen to people, said Paul Levy, president and chief executive officer of the Center City District.

In 2005, and Mr. Rosenthal and Levy conducted a class at the University of Pennsylvania titled "Reclaiming the Delaware River Waterfront."

"Gil was warm and generous with the students and open to their ideas," Levy said. "He encouraged creativity but stressed that they had to be pragmatic and design things that would work in the marketplace."

Mr. Rosenthal taught and lectured at other schools, including Cornell, Harvard, Drexel, Temple, and Roger Williams Universities.

He wrote numerous articles on architecture for journals and educators. "His lasting gift to the WRT staff," Healy wrote, "was his publication in 2010 of Gil's Guide to Marketing, a humorous book full of quips and stories of how (and how not) to market professional services."

Mr. Rosenthal served on the boards of Federation Housing Inc., the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, and the Building Industry Association's government affairs committee. He was a mentor in the Philadelphia Futures Sponsor-a-Scholar program.

A native of Long Island, N.Y., Mr. Rosenthal earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from Cornell and a master's degree in architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Before moving to Philadelphia, he practiced architecture in Pittsburgh for six years and taught at Carnegie-Mellon University.

He enjoyed rowing on the Schuylkill and was a member of the University Barge Club.

Since 1984, he had been married to the Rev. Judith Sullivan, dean of the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral. They raised a family in Chestnut Hill, where he renovated a 1906 home.

Levy recalled that when his and Mr. Rosenthal's daughters graduated from Germantown Friends School in 2003, Mr. Rosenthal stood up and referred to "the wonderful confluence of events" that had led a Jewish man married to an Episcopal minister to speak at a Quaker meeting on such a happy and momentous occasion.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Rosenthal is survived by daughters Emily and Grace and a sister.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, July 8, at Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, 3723 Chestnut St.

Donations may be made to the trustees of the University of Pennsylvania for the Abramson Cancer Center, Attn: Karrie Borgelt, 3535 Market St., Suite 750, Philadelphia 19104.