Todd Granville Lee, architect, born Manhattan, New York, 1939, died Springfield, Massachusetts, 2025. Beloved husband, father, brother, uncle and grandfather, Todd passed away peacefully and gracefully at his retirement community home, Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing, surrounded by family.
Todd Lee excelled in both exterior and interior architectural design. He trained under Louis Kahn at the height of the “Brutalist” architecture movement, but Todd’s designs evolved over the course of his career, bending toward increasingly playful, colorful, and communicative forms.
He was raised in New York City, and Greenwich, Connecticut, in a family of interior designers and artists. His father, Tom Lee, founded a successful hotel and interior design firm, which Todd’s mother, Sarah, a former editor-in-chief of House Beautiful, would later direct as President.
Todd graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy (1957), and earned degrees at Harvard (BA with honors, 1961, Loeb Fellowship 1974), and University of Pennsylvania (Master of Architecture, 1965). He was elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1991, and was an active member of the Boston Society of Architects until his death.
Todd’s early career involved working as an architect at Gruzen & Partners, Cambridge Seven and Earl R. Flansburgh and Associates. In 1982, he founded Todd Lee, Clark, Rozas, Inc., a design and urban planning firm that specialized in domestic and commercial architecture, such as hotels, restaurants and resorts; but also in broader civic projects, such as the redevelopment of Boston’s wharf district, and work in Boston’s public schools and libraries. The firm went on to complete projects in more than half of the states in the country, as well as in France, Scotland, Lithuania, many countries of the Caribbean, Malaysia, China, and Taiwan.
One of Todd’s proudest accomplishments was the Orchard Gardens K-8 public school in Roxbury, chosen as one of the Boston Globe’s 10 Best new buildings in 2003. He conceived of its form as an allusion to the Islamic architecture of Timbuktu combined with an American school bus.
Todd co-founded Light Boston in 1996, serving on its board until his death. The organization touches millions of citizens and visitors each year by illuminating (literally), the most important buildings and structures in Boston, which previously sat quietly in the dark. The Light Boston foundation awarded him a lifetime achievement award in 2024.
Todd was a devoted alumnus of Exeter and Harvard, chairing several reunion committees, and in 2022 helping to restore the intricate historical dioramas covering three centuries of Harvard Square’s growth for his 60th reunion. He was President of the Exeter class of ‘57 at the time of his death. He took great pleasure in the friendship and collegiality of the Boston Athenaeum, and the Century Association in New York City. He was deeply devoted to King’s Chapel and its community for over 35 years, serving as warden and on many committees.
Todd cherished his years as a resident and proud community member of Beacon Hill, Harbor Towers, Cambridge, and Tuckernuck Island.
Todd is survived by his beloved wife Karen Chambers Dalton and stepson Coureton Dalton, his brother Charles and sister-in-law Leslie Lee, his sons Josh and Ben, his daughters-in-law Laura and Melanie, his nephew Tom and niece Leslie, and grandchildren Daisy, Alex, Jane, Isabelle, Charlotte, and Sam Lee. He is also survived by his first wife, Madeline Rosten Lee, and his stepchildren Story, Joe, and Laurance Clark. His second wife, Felicia Reed Clark, predeceased him in 1990, as did his stepson Chris Clark in 2020.
There will be a memorial service at King’s Chapel, Boston, on Monday, June 9th, at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: LIGHT Boston or King’s Chapel.