Architect was quiet observer of art in buildings and nature
When Amy Quinlan wanted a new deck on her Mt. Lebanon home, she dialed the number of one of the most renowned architects in Pittsburgh.
When her sister, Ellen Jordan, needed a new kitchen, she called the same person.
It was the man who had designed their childhood home in Rosslyn Farms — a house that won an award from the American Institute of Architects.
They called their father, Tom Trebilcock.
Mr. Trebilcock’s buildings, as well as his quiet leadership and incisive attention to detail, are being remembered this week after he died Tuesday at the age of 83 in the Providence Point retirement community in Scott.
The architect left behind a legacy of distinguished projects, including the renovation of the University of Pittsburgh’s William Pitt Union, Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Parish in Robinson and buildings in Station Square, Foster Plaza in Green Tree and the corporate campus for Mobay Chemical Corp., now the Pittsburgh headquarters for Bayer.
He was prolific at drawing and kept a sketching desk in his home to be ready when inspiration struck.
“He was an observer,” said Ms. Quinlan, his eldest daughter. “He liked to look at buildings and he would notice little details. He’d say, ‘Did you see the moon tonight?’ He’d just point out things in the woods.”
Born in Salem, Ohio, in 1933, Mr. Trebilcock met his wife, Kathryn, in fourth grade and they married when he was 21.
With an architecture degree from the University of Cincinnati, he moved to Pittsburgh to start his career. In 1959, he founded WTW Architects with two partners, Tom Williams and Paul Whitehead.
The North Side-based firm quickly amassed projects for corporate clients, including Westinghouse, PPG and Alcoa.
It then expanded to focus on college campuses, designing student housing, dining facilities, recreation centers, libraries and student unions.
In 1964, the firm was commissioned to design Pennsylvania State University’s New Kensington campus and a year later signed on for Allegheny County Community College’s south campus in West Mifflin. Soon after, it tackled the renovation of Schenley Hall at the University of Pittsburgh.
The partners had different personalities that worked together to create one of the most enduring companies in the Pittsburgh region today, colleaguessaid.
While Mr. Williams was an outgoing marketer and Mr. Whitehead a studious designer, Mr. Trebilcock was more reserved and a good manager of people. Paul Knell, a senior partner at WTW Architects who was hired by Mr. Trebilcock in 1980, described him as “lowkeyed and calm.”
“He could produce a set of drawings very quickly,” Mr. Knell said. “He was the magic ingredient that bound together the marketing effort and the design efforts.”
The intersection of natural beauty and architecture is evident in Mr. Trebilcock’s work, colleagues said. Perspectives during long walks in the woods around his Rosslyn Farms home found their way into his designs.
WTW Architects, today with a staff of 35 people, has worked on projects in 37 states. It has designed 50 residence halls that house more than 56,000 students, as well as 107 student unions.
The company’s designs for student unions have garnered more than a dozen awards from the Association of College Unions International.
Ms. Quinlan said her father was never the loudest voice in the room — a trait that was not a barrier to success but actually propelled him in his career.
Coming back to Pittsburgh in the 1990s after living elsewhere, she was recognized by Pittsburghers as “Tom Trebilcock’s daughter,” she said.
It was clear that her father’s empathy and ability to listen had a positive effect on them.
“They’d use the word ‘nice,’” Ms. Quinlan said. “He taught me you can be a really nice, soft-spoken guy and be very successful.”
Mr. Trebilcock was a member of the Rosslyn Farms Borough Council for more than 30 years and president of the councilfor 20 years.
In addition to his wife and two daughters, Mr. Trebilcock is survived by a son Tom F. Trebilcock; and four grandchildren.
Visitation is from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at William Slater II Funeral Service, 1650 Greentree Road in Scott. The funeral is at 2 p.m. Saturday at First Lutheran Church, 615 Grant St., in Pittsburgh.
In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, D.C. 20090-6011 or to the Baptist Chapel at Providence Point, 500 Providence Point Blvd., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15243.