Mark Hampton, Arch 48, of Coconut Grove, Fla., on Feb. 28. Hampton was a successful architect whose work included modern homes as well as commercial projects such as the Wolfsonian Museum and Bal Harbour Shops. As part of an exhibition of his work in 2010, the University of Miami School of Architecture described Hampton as an architect “known for pioneering sustainable tropical houses, which were simple, concrete and designed to catch the tropical breezes. Hampton’s style is characterized by a remarkable awareness of space and meticulous attention to both interior and the exterior design.” According to his obituary in the Miami Herald, the modernist architect was inspired by south Florida’s natural beauty. Hampton’s design work on the Wolfsonian-FIU Museum transformed a former storage building into a museum, akin to “a historic grand hotel,” a Miami Herald architecture critic once wrote. In 1965, Hampton partnered with the Miami firm Herbert H. Johnson & Associates that designed the Bal Harbour Shops, which opened that year. In 1971, when Neiman Marcus became an anchor store at the upscale mall, it carried Hampton’s design. Hampton served as a captain in the U.S. Army Infantry during World War II before attending Georgia Tech. In 1974, he opened his own architecture practice in Coconut Grove, Fla. The same year, he earned a fellowship in the American Institute of Architects. The institute awarded Hampton the “Mark the Test of Time Award” and the “Honor Award for Design” in 1987 and “Works in Progress” award in 1991. Friends, family and colleagues recall Hampton as “a true, authentic Southern gentleman.”
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