It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of former AA President Michael Pearson, who passed away on 30 December 2021. Pearson joined the AA as a member in 1958, was elected as a Council Member in 1972 and served as AA President in 1973–74. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Pearson’s daughter, Abigail Morris, shared the following tribute to his life and work:
Born in 1933, Michael Pearson (BA (Hons) FRIBA FRSA FRSH, born Charles Michael Pearson) was a third-generation architect in the Pearson family; he went on to work in the family practice started by his grandfather Charles B Pearson in 1904 and continued by his father Charles E Pearson, who joined the practice in 1931. Michael attended Lancaster Royal Grammar School and studied Architecture at Manchester University, after which he worked briefly with Richard Sheppard and Partners before opening a London office in 1958 for the family practice, Charles B Pearson, Son & Partners, based in Lancaster and Manchester. In 1961, he became a partner in the family business.
Early in his career he demonstrated an aptitude for writing and editing. Whilst at university, he founded the architectural journal 244 together with lifelong friend and architect Bill Cowburn. This enabled him to meet and interview some of the great architects of the day. He was also an occasional guest editor of the Architectural Review and for Arena, the Architectural Association’s (AA) journal.
Due to his interest in the academic study of architecture, teaching played a significant part in Michael’s professional career. From 1962–66 he taught at the AA, and went on to teach at the Bartlett School of Architecture – UCL. Thereafter, in 1967, he taught at the University of Oregon as a Visiting Professor. At the same time, he acted as a visiting critic at UCLA, Berkley, Stanford and Columbia.
Michael served on the AA Council for many years, becoming the Hon Librarian and Hon Treasurer, then as one of the ‘rebels’ who fought against the school losing its independence. In 1973 he became the second-youngest president of the AA, when the school became privately funded. In 1970, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Meanwhile, his architectural practice developed various projects in the north of England including a rolling programme of welfare state projects. In 1967, he won the competition for a Crown Local Office in Ashton which led to a series of exploratory designs of flexible office interiors. One of his smallest but most satisfying commissions was the studio for well-known artist Richard Ewen.
Another significant project of Michael’s was Burne House, a telecommunication centre in Marylebone, London. This well-known building was designed with a ground-breaking innovative façade featuring interiors designed with the flexibility to cater for rapid changes in telecommunications technology and equipment. The building was extensively covered in the Architects’ Journal and is still much admired.
In 1977, Michael and his father formed two new companies: Pearson International, to win and manage overseas contracts, and Pearson Associates to take over their UK portfolio. This left the original company, Charles B Pearson Son & Partners, to work in the northwest of England.
As Pearson International they worked on projects overseas – mainly hospitals – applying their design concepts to different social, economic and climatic conditions. Michael concentrated on projects in the Middle East including the Teaching Hospital in Damascus, mixed commercial centres in Bahrain and Amman, a private hospital in Alexandria and a maternity hospital in Adu Dhabi, as well as the National Hospital in Bombay and the Teaching Hospital in Ilorin, Nigeria, and many other projects. He was responsible for the master-planning of the Technological University in Makurdi, Nigeria. As part of the initial phase, the practice implemented 17 temporary buildings in Makurdi and oversaw proposals for the development plan for four residential colleges for the Federal University in Makurdi. He was also involved in the development plan of the State University at Ado Ekiti in Nigeria.
After the death of his father in 1982, Michael continued in practice as Michael Pearson Associates to work on projects for telecommunications, the Ministry of Defence and local authorities, including acting as an expert witness in construction disputes.
By the 1990s Michael had relocated to Lancaster where the family practice began, and although he never quite retired, family circumstances forced him to cease working by 2016.
Michael leaves behind a remarkable legacy of over one hundred years of work by three generations of Pearsons in the family’s architectural practice. Their impressive legacy includes renowned expertise in health building projects and successful entries in architectural competitions, mainly in the northwest of England. Both his father and grandfather were skilled draughtsmen and his father was also an artist. Michael organised several retrospective exhibitions, including one marking the centenary of the family practice in 2004 held at the AA in London.
In the last year of his life, Michael was delighted that his daughter Abigail, a fully-qualified architect, arranged for the family’s architectural archive to be donated to Lancashire Archives where it will be preserved for future generations and made available for researchers and educational purposes, which was always his wish.
Michael was very proud of his roots and family. He was generous and kind; enjoyed fine food, wine, cigars and was quite a joker; he was keenly interested in world affairs, fond of travelling, and appreciated different cultures and people. Michael led a full and rich life. His passing is truly the end of an era.
– Abigail Morris, with input from his long-time friend and colleague Navin Shah. 13 January 2022.
