Nicholas D. Davis *57

Nicholas died April 25, 2023, in Sewanee, Tenn., at age 92.

He was born in Memphis, June 9, 1930. He earned a B.A. and a B.S. in architecture from Rice University in 1953. Following military service in the Army Corps of Engineers, he earned an MFA in architecture from Princeton in 1957.

In 1960, Nicholas settled into an architecture practice with Jay T. Liddle in Jackson, Miss. In 1963, he was invited to Auburn University for a one-year appointment and stayed until his retirement in 1995, teaching design and architectural history. He was named Alumni Professor in 1982. 

His many built designs include residences, a college library, the restored Auburn University Chapel, the Hargis Maffett Museum near Birmingham, Ala., and the Loachapoka United Methodist Church, which won a national AIA design award and was featured on the cover of the journal Faith and Form. In 2000, he became a fellow of the American Institute of Architects. His work reflected his lifelong study of Frank Lloyd Wright and his fascination with organic forms and geometric structures.

He self-published a limited-edition book of his drawings and essays, Delta Oxbow.

Nicholas is survived by his wife, Carolyn; daughter Jennifer; son Nathan; and two grandsons.

Graduate alumni memorials are prepared by the APGA.