William Schermer Obituary

Schermer
William A. Schermer
May 17, 1928
May 14, 2022

William Schermer died on Friday, May 14, 2021, in the company of Fernando Sanchez and Cal Roy, in his beloved home of over 60 years in Queretaro, Mexico. William is preceded in death by his parents Alan Joseph Schermer and Myrtle May Schermer and niece Kristine Kane Faricy. William is survived by his sister Elizabeth Schermer Kane and her children Patricia Kane Meyers, Thomas Kelly Kane, Mark Hayden Kane, Peter Alan Kane and Hayden William Kane as well as his partner of the last 25 years Fernando Sanchez and lifelong friend Cal Roy.
Born in 1928 in Dubuque, Iowa, William Schermer was studying liberal arts at Loras College when he discovered Bruce Goff had become the director of the School of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma. In 1948, Schermer enrolled at the University and found that studying with Goff was valuable, inspiring and life-altering. However, Goff had advice for Schermer that came from Goff's own experience: go out in the world and be an apprentice to a good architect. Heeding Goff's council, William moved to Chicago in 1949 and began an apprenticeship with Barry Byrne and Parks Architecture.
William worked happily with Mr. Byrne and his great draftsman Mr. Park for ten years with a hiatus in 1952-1954 to serve in the military. During his military service Schermer was assigned to Fort Bliss in El Paso Texas. It was from there that Schermer had his first introduction to Mexico. Memorable projects he assisted Mr. Byrne on were the design and build of St. Benedict's Abbey Church (1951-1957) in Atchison, Kansas, and two different renovations of Immaculata High School and Convent which received Chicago Landmark status on July 27, 1983, and is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
In 1957, William expanded his experience by designing and hand-building his first and only independent U.S. project in Evanston, Illinois, which was later declared an Evanston Landmark in 1978. William also took some time to work with the sculptor Llanelli. It was LIanelli and Byrne that introduced William to Frank Lloyd Wright. These early independent projects clarified William's idea that "building materials would be the primary element in the architectural concept."
In November of 1961 Schermer moved to Mexico City and started what would become a long and prolific design-build career. It was in Mexico that he could achieve his ideal of working independently to design both the envelope of a building and interior elements. He began by designing an all-brick home in Colonia San Jeronimo, Mexico City. By 1967 he had started a partnership with Elizabeth Ackery Simpson Arguellas. Over the following thirty-five, years they built and remodeled dozens of residences and worked on several commercial projects. Memorable among these are several estates in which William was able to design the architecture as well as commission his designs for rugs, textiles, furniture, and lighting to complete the interior.
Schermer split his time between Mexico City and Queretaro for sixty-one years and passed away peacefully at the age of ninety-three. Schermer maintained a lifelong commitment and religious tie to the Catholic church. Schermer loved classical music, was a voracious reader and collector of books. William donated his Architectural library to his Architect great-niece Margaret Kane Wylie.
A Memorial service was held in Queretaro, Mexico and a private service in Colorado Springs.