Remembering Gregory Palermo, FAIA

Gregory S. Palermo, FAIA, professor emeritus of architecture, died Sunday, March 20, at Israel Family Hospice House in Ames. He was 75. View obituary

Palermo served on the Iowa State University architecture faculty from 1992 through his retirement in 2017. He was a past director and past national vice president of the American Institute of Architects, a past president of AIA Iowa and AIA St. Louis, and a past director and past president of the National Architectural Accrediting Board. He had served as an associate editor of Iowa Architect magazine and completed a term as president of the ISU Faculty Senate.

Palermo was a Fellow of the AIA. He received the AIA Iowa Educator Award in 2007 and the Distinguished Professor Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture in 2008. He was the co-author with Barry Wasserman and Patrick Sullivan of Ethics and the Practice of Architecture (John Wiley & Sons, 2000).

Prior to joining the Iowa State faculty, Palermo was engaged in architectural practice full time for more than 20 years, including serving as vice president and senior vice president of project management with HOK in St. Louis. He was the project manager on the St. Louis Union Station mixed-use redevelopment project, which won awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects, Society of American Registered Architects, National Endowment for the Arts, National Association of Industrial and Office Parks, Urban Land Institute, Building Stone Institute, Missouri Chapter of the American Planning Association, and others.

Palermo was also an instructor, visiting architect and affiliate assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis from 1975–1990. He held a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Architecture and Urban Design from Washington University.

Condolences & Memorials

Online condolences may be left for Palermo’s family at www.adamssoderstrum.com. Memorial contributions may be made to the ISU Palermo and Madison Architecture Travel Scholarship or their joint Scholarship in Architecture, Iowa State University Foundation, 2505 University Blvd., PO Box 2230, Ames, IA 50010-2230.

Celebration of Life

The ISU College of Design and Department of Architecture will host a public celebration of life event for Palermo from 4–6 p.m. Monday, April 25, in the Hunziker House at Reiman Gardens, 1407 University Boulevard in Ames. A formal program with distinguished guests from the university and AIA Iowa will be followed by an informal opportunity for former colleagues, students, family and friends to share anecdotes and tributes.