William Menking, architectural historian, writer, critic, and curator of architecture and urbanism, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Architect’s Newspaper, has passed away at age 72 from cancer.

William Menking founded The Architect's Newspaper with Diana Darling in 2003 to publish the latest architecture news. Driving the website as a major news publication, his inspiration come from his working experiences at The Architect’s Journal and Building Design while in London.

Menking lost his life on April 11 at his Tribeca, Manhattan, loft after fighting with cancer for a long time, reported The Architect’s Newspaper. 

He was born in 1947 on Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico and he grew up in California’s Central Valley. Menking received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and Master of Science from the University College, London, then he received a Master Degree in City Planning and Regional Planning from Pratt Institute, and a Ph.D. in History of Art from the City University of New York.

Menking was also known as a prolific curator and writer. Menking was on the Board of Directors at the Storefront for Art and Architecture and The Architecture Lobby. He was a tenured professor and trustee at Pratt Institute. 

Menking curated the 2008 U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture and he organized many exhibitions, including The Vienna Model: Housing for the Twenty-First Century City and Superstudio: Life Without Objects, the latter of which became an important book on the Italian collective.

He wrote books, including Four Conversations on the Architecture of Discourse in 2012 and Architecture on Display: On The History of the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2010; both were co-edited with Aaron Levy and published by Architectural Association in London.

The architecture community paid their tributes to Menking 

"The architecture world is mourning another loss: Bill (William) Menking, historian, writer, critic, founder and editor at The Architect's Newspaper and a loved at Pratt Institute professor," said Harriet Harriss, Dean of Pratt School of Architecture. 

Architecture critic, educator, writer Paul Goldberger said: "This is terribly sad news, and a huge loss. Bill Menking was a central figure in the architecture culture, liked and respected by just about everyone. And AN is a creation that all of us have come to value, and to need. RIP."

Brenden Cormier, senior design curator of London's Victoria and Albert Museum, tweeted that "Oh this is heartbreaking. I met Bill in Lisbon in 2013 - was immediately blown away by his energy, passion for architecture culture and ability to connect the huge network of people he had met along the way. He was incredibly generous to me, and for that I'm forever grateful. RIP." 

Top image: William Menking, courtesy of The Architect’s Newspaper

> via The Architect’s Newspaper