James Charles Montooth departed this life on December 31, 2014 surrounded by friends and family in Spring Green, Wisconsin. He is survived by his wife, Minerva Houston Montooth, of sixty-two years, and his three children, Susan, Margo, and Andrew. He was interred at the Unity Chapel and friends gathered for a service in Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio at Taliesin.

After receiving dual degrees from the University of Chicago in history and music, and serving in the Merchant Marine during World War II, he studied architecture under Frank Lloyd Wright. For the remaining sixty-eight of his ninety-four years he embraced life in Mr. Wright’s Taliesin Fellowship.

He was a member of the American Institute of Architects and the American Planning Association. Among the many buildings and homes he designed was the public library in Spring Green; a post office in Scottsdale, Arizona; an office tower in Louisville, Kentucky; The Springs Resort, in Spring Green; a revolutionary, environment-friendly highway through Vail, Colorado; and a Gymnasium for the University of Wisconsin in Baraboo. But his magnum opus was the Prairie School in Racine Wisconsin where he designed all the buildings from the beginning in 1964 until his retirement in 2003.

Charles also believed in public service, serving on the planning and zoning commission for the city of Scottsdale; Governor’s Commission on Taliesin; Planning Commission for Wyoming Township; Board of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation; Board of Taliesin Preservation Commission; Board of National Railroad Passenger Association; White House Conference on Public Transportation; among many others.

He wrote for the Scottsdale Daily Progress and the Wisconsin River Journal. Among his many lectures and public speaking engagements were appearances at the American Library Association, Arizona Society of Engineers, Iowa State University, Arizona State University, University of Chicago, and Georgia AIA.

He is most remembered for his many years of service as a teacher, mentor, and friend of the students and staff at Taliesin.

Donations in his memory may be made to the Charles Montooth Fund for Teaching and Working in Architecture at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, part of the School’s Campaign for Independence.