I.M. Pei, Architect Who Designed NYU's Silver Towers, Dies At 102

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY — I.M. Pei, a world-renowned architect known for designing the Louvre's glass pyramid, died at 102-years-old.

Though known for Paris' famed glass pyramid, Pei was also the architect behind New York University's landmarked superblock, known as Silver Towers.

Pei's death was confirmed by Marc Diamond, a spokesman for the architect's New York firm Thursday. His career goes back to the 1940s, and he has added striking designs worldwide, from New York and Paris to Boulder and Washington D.C. Pei was raised in Shanghai and immigrated to the U.S. to study architecture.

At one point, Pei said, "At one level my goal is simply to give people pleasure in being in a space and walking around it. ... But I also think architecture can reach a level where it influences people to want to do something more with their lives. That is the challenge that I find most interesting."

His mark on Greenwich Village began in 1964, when construction began at Silver Towers, also known as University Village where some NYU faculty resides.

The towers span across a five-acre superblock between West Houston and Bleecker streets. The design includes three 30-story towers circling a lawn area in the architectural style known as "brutalism," according to the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The LPC designated the superblock as a landmark in 2008. The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation first proposed its designation in 2003, the New York Times reported in 2008. NYU originally opposed the landmark designation as it had wanted to build additional buildings on the superblock site, but ultimately, the former president of the university John Sexton supported it. At the time, Sexton said in a statement, "We believe this step is an important one that demonstrates our respect for the 'ecosystem' in which our University exists."

To read more about Pei and his legacy, click here.

With reporting from the Associated Press and Patch reporters Kathy McCormack and Deepti Hajela.