It is with great sadness that the family of Friedrich StFlorian announces his passing. Friedrich died peacefully in his sleep on December 18, 2024 at his home in Providence RI, three days before his 92nd birthday. Friedrich led a life rich in innumerable ways, forever optimistic about the world and all of its possibilities.
Born in Graz, Austria on December 21, 1932, Friedrich was the second oldest of four children. In 1960, he graduated from the Technische Universität Graz. He came to the United States through a Fulbright Fellowship to earn a Master’s in Architecture from Columbia University.
Friedrich came to Providence in 1963 where he joined the faculty at the Rhode Island School of Design. A move to Rome through RISD proved life changing as that is where he met and married the love of his life, Livia. Together they returned to Providence where he continued his career at RISD. From 1978 to 1988, Friedrich served as the Dean of Architectural Studies and as Acting Provost for Academic Affairs from 1981 to 1984. Friedrich also taught at MIT at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies for several years during the 1970s. In addition to his 50 plus year career at RISD, Friedrich maintained a private architectural practice in downtown Providence for decades, closing his office shortly before his 90th birthday.
Friedrich enjoyed many professional accolades during his career. His drawings are part of the permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the RISD Art Museum. Most significantly, he is the architect of the WWII Memorial in Washington, DC, a project that consumed more than a decade of his life and for which he was both honored and proud.
Despite all of his professional successes, there was no greater joy in Friedrich’s life than his wife, Livia, with whom he created a life of art and community in Providence during the 57 years that they lived here together. For the last 35 years, they have resided in the home Friedrich designed and cherished, the site of endless gatherings and celebrations.
In addition to Livia, Friedrich is survived by his adoring daughters, Alisia (Ben Medoff) and Ilaria (Maarten Kruijtzer) and his 5 grandchildren: Julia, Alex, Clara, Thom and Ellie. We will carry with us forever the gratitude for life that Friedrich personified. He was a great blessing to all who knew him, and especially to his family.
The family will receive friends and family from 10:00am to 10:30am, on Thursday, January 9 in St. Sebastian Church, 67 Cole Avenue, Providence, followed by a Memorial Mass at 10:30. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or online at www.stjude.org. Condolences may be left at monahandrabblesherman.com
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67 Cole Avenue
Providence, RI 02906
