Cleveland architect Jack Bialosky, Sr., a designer of elegant modern houses that reshaped suburbs, has died a – cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio Jack Bialosky Sr., was an influential Northeast Ohio architect whose single-family houses introduced a sleek and stylish look to East Side suburbs after World War II.

Bialosky died Tuesday of natural causes at age 94 in the Judson Retirement Community in Cleveland, said his son, architect Jack Bialosky Jr.

His father was part of a generation of American architects who embraced modernism during the postwar economic expansion and whose work expressed a can-do spirit of optimism and uplift.

He was very facile, Jack Jr. said. He could make anything in a wood shop and he drew with incredible facility. He always thought his work should be an expression of the clients goals rather than his own.

Jack Sr. designed more than 60 single-family homes in the Cleveland area. His credits also include the 1954 Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in Beachwood, the 1976 headquarters for Progressive Corp. in Mayfield, plus headquarters buildings for Broadview Savings, and Leaseway Corp.

After graduating from Yale University in 1949 with a bachelors degree in architecture (later converted to a masters degree according to Jack Jr.,) Bialosky Sr. founded the firm now known as Bialosky Cleveland.

The firm operated for many years in a second-floor office at Shaker Square. Jack Jr. moved the firm several years ago to a new office at 6555 Carnegie Ave., where it has 66 employees. The firm also has a New York office operated by Jack Jr.s brother, William.

Bialosky Sr. was born in 1925 to Clevelanders Leon and Edith Bialosky and was a member of the class of 1943 at Cleveland Heights High School.

After entering the University of Michigan, where he hoped to play football, Jack Sr. was conscripted into the U.S. Navy, which sent him to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where he played football and studied naval architecture.

He served aboard the U.S.S. Mindoro, an escort aircraft carrier, as the war was winding down, but did not see action.

After graduating from Yale, Bialosky joined architect Charles Cecil Coleman in a small practice focused on residential projects. Soon thereafter, he founded his own firm.

Throughout Jack Sr.s professional tenure he was known for his clean, modern, functional approach to design and a remarkable drawing talent, continuing to paint and draw in retirement. In later years, he learned Computer Aided Drafting, the family said.

Jack Sr. was married to former Marilyn Bartow Bialosky for 69 years. She died in 2018.

In addition to raising four children, the Bialoskys supported each others civic endeavors, the family said.

They were known for an impeccable sense of style, a passion for travel, and profound dedication to their synagogue (where they were founding members, educators, and trustees), family members said.

Jack Sr. served as Commissioner of the Shaker Boys League for 30 years. In retirement, he was appointed by Cuyahoga County as a trustee of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Public Square, and helped to oversee its renovation.

Survivors include Ellen Rice (Richard), of Denver; Jack Jr. (Ronni) of Cleveland; William, of New York; Richard (Karen), of Cleveland; and a step-brother, Daniel Lewis, of Miami. Jack Sr. had eight grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister Mina Wirtshafter, of Cleveland.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Contributions may be made to Suburban Temple-Kol Ami, 22401 Chagrin Blvd., Beachwood.

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Cleveland architect Jack Bialosky, Sr., a designer of elegant modern houses that reshaped suburbs, has died a - cleveland.com