Architect and structural engineer J. Edward Martin, whose firm oversaw the construction of nearly half of Downtown LA's office towers, including the city's first high-rise, died Nov. 22 of natural causes. He was 88. Read
As managing partner of AC Martin Partners, Martin was the second generation to run the firm started by his father, Albert C. Martin Sr., in 1906.

Upon joining the firm following his service in World War II, Edward Martin led the company during the largest construction boom in American history, designing shopping malls, hospitals, aerospace complexes, government buildings and entire communities. During the 1950s, AC Martin Partners experienced one of its most successful periods, with large-scale projects for the military and aerospace giants TRW and Lockheed.

In 1964, Martin won the contract to design the Union Bank Building, Downtown's first high-rise. During the process, he helped pioneer the use of computer design and seismic technology.

"He was always very adaptive to new concepts and technology," said Chris Martin, Edward's son and the current chief executive of AC Martin Partners. "He was regarded as being very forceful and a strong visionary with ideas that nobody really thought of before."

In ensuing years, Martin and his brother, Albert Jr., designed much of Downtown's skyline, including the Department of Water and Power at 111 N. Hope St., Arco Plaza at 515 S. Flower St., Bank of America Plaza at 333 S. Hope St., and Citicorp Center at 444 S. Flower St.

Friends and family said Martin was driven by a deep religious faith, his love of the outdoors and his honest approach to problem solving and people. His sharp mind and insatiable curiosity kept him constantly occupied, from raising thoroughbred horses to growing citrus trees to running a 3,600-acre timber farm in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Though he retired from the firm in 1986, he continued to visit the office until 2000, and consulted with and supported his son on the recent restoration of City Hall, which Martin's father designed in 1928.

"I think my fondest memory was walking through that renovation with him," Chris Martin said. "His father was one of the original architects, and then to see his son working on City Hall made him so proud."

Born in 1916, the Los Angeles native graduated in 1939 from the University of Illinois with a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering. Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, Martin enlisted as a lieutenant in the Navy's Civil Engineering Corps. He was one of only a handful of officers assigned to raise battleships from the bottom of Pearl Harbor. Later he helped build military bases in the Aleutians.

Peers say Martin's commitment to service and innovative approach to keeping the firm's style fresh and contemporary helped build AC Martin Partners into a powerhouse.

"When I started in this industry 25 years ago in Los Angeles, there was a series of large firms like [William] Pereira, [Welton] Beckett and Martin that dominated the big building environment in the golden age of L.A. growth," said Dan Rosenfeld, a developer with Urban Partners. "Of the big firms, AC Martin Partners is the only one left. The continuity of that firm through multiple generations is without any equal in our community. It's reminiscent of the traditions of the guild in Europe."