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In memory of

Frank Metcalf Hammerstrom

Stuart, FL

January 12, 1939 - December 16, 2021

Jan 12, 1939 - Dec 16, 2021

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Frank Metcalf Hammerstrom was found dead at his home in Stuart, FL on December 16, 2021. The death of the 82-year-old Jamestown, NY native was unexpected. A 1969 graduate of the Washington University (St. Louis) School of Architecture, Frank practiced his art and craft for four decades in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston before moving to Florida in 2005. He is survived by his daughter, Kirsten Hammerstrom and grandson Thomas Schultz, both of Baltimore. He was predeceased by his younger brother, Kurt (1940-2010), and older brother, Carl (1936-2021).

As a young architect at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s Chicago office, Frank worked on the “New City” in Teheran, Iran before the fall of the shah. While he worked overseas, his first wife, Frederica, oversaw the laborious process of renovating their 1886 townhouse. Frederica would continue to manage the renovations of their subsequent homes in Ladue, MO and Haverford, PA while Frank generally worked in other cities, if not on other continents. When home, he contributed to these projects with his own manual labor, setting fence post and rebuilding garages while teaching his daughter power tool skills.

As a senior design principal at Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum (HOK), Frank was proud of his collaborative work on office design, where he remained a firm proponent of offices with doors despite the exponential spread of the open or “systems furniture” office. As a residential architect, no one designed a better bathroom.

A life-long dog lover, Frank was especially partial to Airedales, especially his last dog, Claudia. He found his way to a fondness for cats, starting with his wife Frederica’s rescue cat Sugar, a Turkish Angora Frank walked on a leash as she hunted chipmunks, and ending with his friend and painting mentor Sally Pearson’s house panther Jelly Bean.

Frank’s passions included sailing, especially in wooden boats requiring hours of maintenance that never won races, painting, classical music, and opera. He and his daughter found little common musical ground except in bluegrass and Bruce Springsteen, but his sense of adventure led him on shopping expeditions for his daughter in the East Village.

Although increasingly introverted in his later years, Frank appreciated the kindness and generosity of his neighbors and friends, particularly the Art Associates of Martin County. He was increasingly devoted to liberal politics as he aged, exhilarated by the election of Barack Obama and seeking hope for his grandson’s future,

Larger than life, Frank touched many lives and made an impression on everyone he met. He will be remembered for his sense of humor, his devotion to opera, and his love of food and drink. If you knew him, raise a glass in his memory, donate your favorite charity, or devote an hour to finding the beauty that surrounds you.

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