Architect Batey Gresham Jr. Gresham Smith Cofounder Dies at 88

Abstract

Gresham Smith CEO Rodney Chester, who spent his entire 25-year career with the firm, says he could talk at length about what a great architect and businessman Gresham was, but what really sums up his impact is how he made people feel. Partnering with fellow architect Fleming Smith, the pair founded Gresham Smith in 1967. In an announcement, Smith says he and Gresham took an alternate path in the '60s, when most architects were solo practitioners. A studious person, Gresham quickly became a healthcare architect, Chester says, and long-term clients like HCA continued as clients of the firm due to the trust that Gresham was able to foster. Chester notes Gresham's work on the Nashville City Center Office Building, which held Gresham Smith's former office location, the first American Airline hub terminal at Nashville International Airport and a large addition to the Metro Nashville General Hospital. Gresham kept a strong relationship with his alma mater throughout his life, establishing the university's first endowed professorship in its School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture in 1999 with the Ann and Batey Gresham Endowed Professorship. Former Gresham Smith CEO and current board chair Al Pramuk says when he met Gresham for the first time as a young professional, it was how caring and kind he was that impressed him.