Ashok M. Bhavnani ’55

Born in Bangalore, India, Dec. 1, 1933, to Enakshi and Mohan Bhavnani, Ashok died July 25, 2015, from lung cancer complications at home in Manhattan.

The offspring of two talented artists in film and dance, Ashok came to Princeton from The Doon School in Dehradun, India, and majored in architecture. He joined Cap and Gown and roomed with Win Adkins, Ben Hendrix, and Hyman Bass during his senior year.

His career in architecture was a litany of successes in a wide range of structures, from residential to commercial. His work on Roosevelt Island was important in the mid-1970s; it turned the underused East River island into planned middle-income housing that thrives to this day. He conceived and executed the much-lauded Merkin Concert Hall in Manhattan, considered one of the world’s most acoustically sound small concert halls.

He was honored with the Albert S. Bard Award, which he received for both Merkin Hall and Roosevelt Island. His work was published and written about widely, including in Arts and Architecture, The Architectural Review (UK), Baumeister (Deutschland), The New York Times, and New York Magazine.

Ashok is survived by his wife, Marjorie; son Raoul ’93 and his wife, Savitha; and two grandchildren, Nikhil and Nina.