Cyr

History

Joseph St. Cyr was known for his great stories and on numerous occasions took the time to share them. Early on Minoru Yamasaki, internationally known architect who would later go on to design the World Trade Center, juried his final project in architecture school.

Cyr designs made a huge impression, and Yamasaki offered him a job.

Cyr was remarkable. He earned enormous respect for his expertise and his enthusiasm for life and work. By his early 40s and already an accomplished architect. 

Born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan he set up his own practice there in 1955, only two years after completing his master’s degrees in architecture at the University of Michigan. Over the next decade and a half, his office grew to 40 or so staffers with he at the helm. St. Cyr Architects & Associates designed more than 100 churches, schools and office buildings. Cyr also had an affinity for an open layout that created an illusion of space flowing between the exterior and interior. His designs can be seen in the significant neighborhood of Holly Hill Farms in Farmington Hills Michigan as he designed close to 30 magical properties on half acre lots giving each owner an opportunity to live in his extraordinary design. Each house was placed with considerable thought embracing the nature, character, and topographical features.

He designed countless buildings and private residences on the Islands and the Florida mainland. Among these are The Sanibel Fire Department, Island Water Association, the Robb & Stucky Building in Bonita, Big Arts Original Building & Amphitheater, Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, and a collection of buildings for the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife.

Joseph Cyr’s friends affectionately called him Joe. No matter how many people pressed him, he would never slow down. At 79, sharp as ever with a lifetime of experience under his belt, he was still taking on new projects.

Cyr Ranch

Joseph St. Cyr

Architect

Running his hand through his thick, prematurely white hair, he unrolled a set of drawings and explained how he changed the interior plans of his beachfront condominium to make it more open, create the illusion of space flowing inside and out, and how these modifications took advantage of the Gulf views and breezes.

He was tall, down-to-earth and most memorably, exuding confidence.

Architecture was Joe’s life. He began working with architects at the age of 13 and was the only graduate of Fordson High School with a major in architecture. Notably, he became the youngest registered architect in the state of Michigan.

His office was located below his house and he valued and prepared for long hours, but emphasized the rewards could be enormous. Joe believed it was necessary to holistically embrace building construction — not just how to design a building but ensure it was suitable for its environment.

Renowned architect, inventor and futurist Buckminster Fuller was visiting professor during Joe’s undergraduate years, and he instilled in his students the importance of comprehensive design. “Bucky Fuller,” as Joe fondly referred to him, “insisted on creating a total design.”

That inclusive philosophy of building stayed with Joe throughout his long career.

When he finally settled on Sanibel in 1981, he had already established a reputation for designing buildings appropriate for Southwest Florida.

Joe’s commercial buildings and residences often incorporated metal roofs with deep porches, reminiscent of the early Florida Cracker buildings. Because, he would insist, “form must follow the function.” He didn’t design buildings that were transplants from Michigan, but intuitively understood a very different climate required a very different response.

St. Cyr Architects & Associate had designed schools all over the country being extremely influential during a time when school design and teaching methods were being radically rethought. Joe was instrumental in the integration of open plan schools that allowed for flexibility. He also experimented with mobile storage systems of varying sizes and functions.

Joe St. Cyr died Tuesday, Nov. 25, and on that day, Southwest Florida lost a great architect and many others, lost a dear friend. He will remain in the hearts and minds of those who drive past or inhabit any one of the hundreds of buildings you designed. They remind us of your huge passion and curiosity for life, people and nature.