Noted architect Mark Feinknopf dies, leaving long legacy in Columbus area
A service will be held Sunday to celebrate the life and legacy of architect Mark Feinknopf, who played a large role in shaping the modern Columbus skyline. He died Aug. 28.
In more than three decades as an architect and planner, Feinknopf was involved in a string of transformative projects in the Columbus area, including the Southern Theatre restoration, the North Market, City Center Mall, the Columbus Zoo, the Columbus Museum of Art, Ameriflora, Capital University buildings, and renovation projects at St. Joseph’s Cathedral and what is now the Ohio Supreme Court building.
“He worked on so many projects,” said his daughter, Kim Feinknopf-dorrian, who has researched her father’s life. “In 1987 alone, he was working on 23 projects near Broad and High. That’s one year.”
Born in 1936 in Bexley, Feinknopf graduated from Yale University in engineering and, after serving in the Army, from the Harvard School of Design.
He returned to Columbus to join his father’s architectural firm, now called Feinknopf Macioce Schappa Architects.
“Few architects can have the impact and vision to continually plan the future of the city and execute projects on such a diverse basis,” said David Youse, the current president of the firm. “Mark and his partners and associates believed in creating great places in the city of Columbus. Mark generously gave his time and resources to make Columbus what it is today.”
Youse noted that Feinknopf ’s influence extended far beyond highprofile projects.
“Mark, and his father before him, were not only contributors but architects to local charities and religious organizations as a large part of their DNA, and regularly included work for those assisting our society, from The American Red Cross, to the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, the Columbus Jewish Foundation, and Temple Israel, Pilot Dogs, Vision Center, Columbus Symphony, YWCA, Columbus Academy, Yassenoff Center, and Buckeye Boys Ranch, among dozens of others ... often exceeding 100 projects per year,” Youse said.
One of Feinknopf’s most passionate projects grew out of his 1963 Harvard thesis: a mixed-use transportation hub in Downtown Columbus, an idea that the Central Ohio Transit Authority is now pursuing on the site of the former Greyhound bus terminal on East Town Street.
Feinknopf served on a string of civic groups, many of them focused on Downtown’s growth, including the Capital Square Commission, Capital South Task Force, Executive Committee of Downtown Columbus and the Development Committee of Greater Columbus.
He was also active outside his architectural practice, teaching at Ohio State University from 1963 to 1971, serving as president of the Columbus chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1979, co-chairing of the Franklin County planning group Together 2000, founding the Columbus Urban Environmental Workshop and serving as Bexley’s City Planner for 23 years.
After retiring in 1996, Feinknopf moved to Georgia to be with his partner, Cynthia Moe. The pair were followers of Marshall Rosenberg, who founded the Center for Non-violent Communication, which led to them to create the Compassionate Communication Center of Ohio in Columbus, devoted to Rosenberg’s teachings.
For Feinknopf ’s son, Brad Feinknopf, the two parts of his father’s life reflect a common thread.
“At his core, he did whatever he could to make society a better place, whether a physical space or something like Ameriflora, or helping people communicate with other people better,” said Brad Feinknopf, an accomplished architectural photographer.
Feinknopf was preceded in death by his wife, Sheila Levison Feinknopf, and sister, Ellen F. Mack. He is survived by his partner, Cynthia Sipes Ugan Moe, children, Mark Bradley Feinknopf (Abby) and Kim Feinknopf-dorrian (Joe), and stepsons Kevin (Andrew) Ugan and Steven (Pam) Ugan, and grandchildren.
Feinknopf’s life will be celebrated from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Jeffrey Mansion in Bexley. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, charitable contributions be made to the Mark G. Feinknopf Legacy Fund, administered by The Columbus Foundation. jweiker@dispatch.com @Jimweiker