Rick Mather, who established a practice in Camden High Street. Inset: Rick’s work at the Ashmoleon Museum in Oxford.

Published: 9 May, 2013
by DAN CARRIER

ARCHITECT Rick Mather, who has died aged 75, was American born but settled in London and would go on to influence some of the city’s cultural landmarks.

His Camden Town practice has been responsible for updating such important institutions as the Southbank Centre, The Ashmolean in Oxford and the Wallace Collection.

Earlier in his career, he had designed schools and worked for Southwark Council. Always interested in urban design, he was never sold on Modernist town planning. Instead he had an innate sense of how buildings made streets, says co-partner Stuart Cade.

“He always loved Camden Town for this reason,” he recalls. “He loved the fact it was such a richly diverse place.”

Rick was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1937. His father was an engineer and, aged 11, he helped his dad build a cabin in woods near their home.

He studied at the University of Oregon and in 1961 set out on a grand tour of Europe, taking in the Italian Renaissance cities and looking at European 20th-century Modernism – two conflicting schools that influenced him.  

Rick bought a property in Arlington Road in 1971 and redesigned the Victorian house into a home that reflected his architectural ethos.

He converted the top floors into a double-height living space with a roof terrace for a garden with views across his adopted city. He established Rick Mathers Architects, based in Camden High Street, in 1973.

His practice began with smaller commissions, often rethinking Victorian homes or adding extensions. He earned a reputation during the 1970s and in the 1980s Rick’s work went global.

He designed the interior for a Japanese restaurant called Zen – they had a branch in Hampstead High Street – and the styling was so successful it led to a series of global commissions for the company.

From here, he took on jobs that reflected his love of the arts: he redesigned the Architectural Association’s Bedford Square headquarters and was in demand from museums, libraries and universities.

The University of East Anglia commissioned him to work on their campus and he took on the prestigious job of Oxford University’s Ashmolean Museum.

It was a measure of his character that he combined his design with an approachable charm that meant he got everyone involved, from the Press and heritage groups, to the trustees and staff.

His designs were influenced by his love at his drawing board of volume and light, and his passion for gardening.

When he moved from Arlington Road to Primrose Gardens in Belsize Park, he again created a roof terrace. Later, he would buy a house in the South of France and moulded the 1930s building into something more aesthetically pleasing. It was not a major overhaul, but a gentle updating.

Rick’s kind character could be read through his architecture. People were at the heart of his projects. He wanted to create responsible spaces, but ignored the excesses of others in his profession who saw architecture as a form of social engineering. As his business partner at his practice Gavin Miller says: “It was simply about creating the best possible spaces for everyone.”

His influences were eclectic. His rural childhood provided a base and the great outdoors never escaped his thinking. But he was also from a generation of architects whose tutors were the product of early 20th-century Modernism.

However, with Rick, this was offset by a strong appreciation of the Renaissance.

Other jobs included revamping Dulwich Picture Gallery, the Lyric Theatre and the National Maritime Museum – all key public spaces.

It meant it was no surprise that he managed to do something many celebrated designers have failed to – create a workable masterplan for the Southbank Centre.

Rick took the job on in 1999. Previously the centre had been looked at by Lord Richard Rogers and Sir Terry Farrell. Rick knew intuitively what was wrong and how to fix it.

He saw the streets around the centre as rat-runs for service vehicles and not places for people. His plans were not greeted at first with optimism – but the responsibility for the Southbank’s regeneration as a cultural centre can be laid at Rick’s door.

Rick was a man of passions and talents: art and architecture, of course, but he also loved the cinema, opera, music – he played a grand piano at home. He also loved food, eating out in Camden Town’s many restaurants, and cooked, enjoying simple recipes, with waffles and soufflés being high on the list of specialities. He was a keen entertainer.

A confirmed Anglo­phile, he has influenced our city in ways that will long stand as testimonies to his character, and his vision continues at the Camden High Street firm that bears his name.

He is survived by his partner, David Scrase.