In Memoriam
Richard Knight: artist, architect, author, builder, father, friend, grandfather, husband, jeweler, photographer, sculptor. His long and productive life ended quietly at home December 16, 2008. His far-flung family includes three children, their spouses, and seven grandchildren. Alameda became his adopted hometown when he moved here in 1993 with his wife Judith Lynch. His permanent home is now beneath a 100-yeard-old Zinfandel vine in the backyard of his Alameda home.
Knight’s last project was Saarinen’s Quest, published by William Stout Architectural Books. He was both architect and photographer in the office of Eero Saarinen, the modernist who designed the St. Louis Arch, Dulles Airport, and the TWA Terminal among other visionary projects. Knight took thousands of pictures of Saarinen and associates at work. The text that accompanies the images provided new insight into the workings of the office, where they played as avidly as they toiled in the architectural trenches.
The publication of this book, subtitled “The Memoir of a Minion,” was Richard’s peak achievement. At his memorial celebration in Alameda June 2009, friends, family, and colleagues donated more than seventy copies of his book to all manner of architectural and public libraries, from the Architecture School University College Dublin to the Alameda Free Library.
