'Raleigh's architect' Steve Schuster dies

Steven Schuster, the architect known for helping revitalize downtown Raleigh has died.

Posted 7:54 p.m. Aug 18, 2019 — Updated 8:52 p.m. Aug 18, 2019

Alfred Charles

, WRAL.com managing editor

RALEIGH, N.C. — Steve Schuster, the architect known for helping revitalize downtown Raleigh, passed away Friday after a battle with cancer, his relatives said. He was 68.

According to an online obituary by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home and Crematory, Schuster had battled cancer before he passed away at his home two days ago in downtown Raleigh.

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He was born in Hammond, Indiana in 1951 and grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago until his family moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

He graduated from North Carolina State University in 1973 after obtaining a bachelor's degree in Environmental Design, according to the online obituary.

In 1977, he obtained a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Schuster was involved with several high-profile projects in the city, including helping design the Marbles Kids Museum, Artspace, the North Regional Library, Glenwood South’s Pine State Creamery and the city’s convention center.

He was inducted into the Raleigh Hall of Fame, which honors a select group of individuals and non-profit organizations each year who have made significant and noteworthy contributions to the City of Raleigh, in 2014.

His family is planning to hold a private memorial service later this fall.

According to Brown-Wynne funeral home, Schuster is survived by his wife, Mary Anne Howard; his sister, Karen Merritt; his brother Mark Schuster; three nephews and a niece.

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