Walter Sobel, architect of synagogues, courthouses, and private homes, died June 11, 2014. He was 100.

Synagogues in the area which Sobel designed include Oak Park Temple; Ezra-Habonim, the Niles Township Jewish Congregation; the sanctuary of Beth Emet The Free Synagogue in Evanston; and the chapel at KAM in Hyde Park. Sobel also designed synagogues in Springfield and Champaign; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Benton Harbor, Michigan. During the recent High Holidays, all of these congregations mentioned Sobel during their Yizkor memorial services.

In addition, Sobel contributed to, or consulted, on the designs of some 250 courthouses in the US, Canada, and the Virgin Islands- as well as moot courtrooms and law libraries- and edited books on courthouse design. He also designed high schools, stores, and individual houses, infused with his love of Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision.

Sobel, born in 1913, was raised on Chicago’s North Side. Fascinated with the discipline since childhood, he began studying architecture at Senn High School, then at Armour Institute, and later IIT. Eventually, he would teach architecture there for 40 years, starting in 1946.

Sobel served in the Navy during WWII, as a lieutenant, and was wounded in battle in the Philippines. After the war, he moved with his wife into a Frank Lloyd Wright home in Wilmette, where they lived the rest of their lives. Aside from architecture, Sobel loved literature and classical music.

Sobel was preceded in death by his wife, Betty. They are survived by their children- Richard, Nancy, Steven and Robert Sobel and Sue Kaufman- as well as six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Services were held in the Beth Emet sanctuary he designed.