Charlie Thornton, the well-admired structural engineer, co-founder and CEO of Thornton Tomasetti, passed away in early December at the age of 83, according to his firm. 

The Bronx-born Thornton began his career in the New York offices of Lev Zetlin Associates before pursuing a new venture with Richard Tomasetti after 1977. What followed was a long and decorated career in building, with the world’s first supertall designs — Malaysia’s Petronas Towers and the Taipei 101 in Taiwan — among the signature projects in a globe-spanning portfolio that would later include One Liberty Place in Philadelphia, the forthcoming Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, and the delivery of new Yankee Stadium in his hometown. 

“Charlie was a visionary, foreseeing the needs of structural engineering, our clients, the building industry and the public it serves,” Tomasetti said in a firm statement. “He was equally dedicated to mentoring everyone in our firm, our partners, and future generations through his founding of the ACE Mentor Program of America. I am fortunate to have had Charlie as my partner and friend for more than 60 years and to have shared in his inspiring journey that helped people achieve more than they ever imagined.”

Thornton’s dedication to the field inevitably led to numerous awards and professional accolades, including the Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

Thornton Tomasetti is now one of the world’s ten largest AEC firms, with offices in eight countries and over 1,500 staff members globally. Thornton penned a 2014 memoir titled, A Life of Elegant Solutions, after formal retirement in 2004. The firm is soliciting donations to the ACE Mentor Program's Charles H. Thornton Memorial Scholarship Fund in his memory. A further remembrance from his alma mater, New York University, can be found here.