IN MEMORIAM

The NYSID Community Remembers Barry Lewis, Jeannie Bochette, and Art Gensler

EMILY HAGOPIAN BARRY LEWIS Generations of NYSID alumni and faculty were saddened by the news that famed New York City architectural historian and former NYSID instructor Barry Lewis passed away on January 12, 2021, at the age of 75. Lewis was best known as the quintessential New York City historical and architectural walking tour guide. He co-hosted and co-created (with David Hartman) the TV special “A Walk Down 42nd Street,” which aired on the New York PBS station WNET in 1998. The special bloomed into a series that was shown on PBS stations throughout the country. Lewis had a deep expertise in European and American architectural history from the 18th to 20th centuries. In addition to lecturing at institutions such as the New York Historical Society, Lewis taught Modern Architecture & Design I and II at the New York School of Interior Design for 25 years. His courses were wildly popular, and he won NYSID’s William Breger Faculty Achievement Award for extraordinary teaching in 2001. “NYSID was lucky to have such a long a liation with the NYC icon Barry Lewis,” says NYSID President David Sprouls. “It was our students who were the luckiest, having been taught by someone as knowledgeable and enthusiastic as he was.”

JEANNIE BOCHETTE The NYSID community was saddened by the passing of Jeannie Bochette, the former marketing manager for business development of Steelcase and a member of NYSID’s Advisory Board for many years. Bochette died on January 16, 2021, at the age of 77. Bochette was a force behind the professionalization of interior design through her advocacy for standards, legislation, and licensure in the industry. She was a key figure in the formation and development of IDLNY (Interior Designers for Legislation in New York) and an active member of NY11+, an organization dedicated to promoting public awareness of interior design education. “As a senior manager at Steelcase in New York City, Bochette provided meeting space and refreshments for NY11+ board meetings and student events, and hosted professional events that showcased awareness of the importance of legislation supporting licensure and other legislative initiatives,” says NYSID Dean and Vice President for Academic A airs Ellen Fisher. “Her advocacy made a di erence to our profession, and to the design industry at large.”

ART GENSLER Art Gensler, the cofounder of the international architecture and interior design firm that bears his name, died on May 10, 2021, at the age of 85. This giant of the architecture world transformed Gensler from a boutique San Francisco-based firm into a company that has o ces in 50 cities. The New York Times said of Art Gensler, “At a time when many architects overlooked interior design, Mr. Gensler made it a key component of his architectural practice. He said he designed spaces from the ‘inside out’…” Gensler spoke at NYSID’s commencement speech in 2014, when he received an honorary doctorate from the College. Says NYSID President David Sprouls, “Art Gensler was transformative because he created a company culture that emphasized the way interiors impact life and human experience, and that’s a tradition that continues at Gensler today, and is in line with NYSID’s mission.”