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Aric Lasher Biography

Aric Lasher was born in 1961 in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Huntington Woods, Michigan, where he developed an appreciation for architecture from the buildings in the city of Detroit and the local Cranbrook Academy, both strong influences on his aesthetic development. Aric earned a Masters of Architecture degree from the College of Architecture, Art & Planning at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York in 1984, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, Los Angeles, California in 1995. Aric practiced architecture in Lucerne, Switzerland, from 1985 to 1986, and in Chicago from 1986 to 1993 at Hammond, Beeby and Babka (where he worked on the Rice wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the urban design component of the winning scheme for the Harold Washington library), at Perkins and Will (with Ralph Johnson), and at James, Morris and Kutyla (working on residential and performing arts projects). He left Chicago in 1993 to pursue a degree in film at the school of Cinematic Arts at USC in Los Angeles. After graduation from USC, Aric designed sets for many feature films from 1996-2005, including What Dreams May Come, Practical Magic, Start Little and Stuart Little 2, Pearl Harbor, Zoolander, and Minority Report. He returned to Chicago and worked as a principal at Hammond Beeby Rupert Ainge (HBRA) from 2006 to 2010 before succeeding Thomas H. Beeby as President and Director of Design in 2011. In 2016, he became a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA). At HBRA, his projects included buildings for government, cultural, academic and public institutions, residential projects, furniture, landscapes, and renovations and restorations of historic structures. Notable projects include the Edgar Shannon Library at the University of Virginia, The Corrida Harrington Center for Student Success at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, the Jenkins-Nanovic Halls at Notre Dame University, the Tuscaloosa Federal Building and Courthouse in Tuscaloosa AL, The Deering Library at Northwestern University, Evanston IL, and the Salt Shed concert venue in Chicago IL. Aric’s professional affiliations include the Society of Midland Authors, the Art Directors’ Guild, the Mies van der Rohe Society, and the Society of Architectural Historians, where he served on its Board of Directors. He was a registered architect in the States of Illinois, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida and Michigan. He co-authored and illustrated “Plans of Chicago” with R. Samuel Roche in 2009, and his film and planning drawings were published in the book “Single Handedly” in 2018. In 2019, Aric was diagnosed with Amotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He continued to serve as President and Director of Design for HBRA until his retirement due to disability in 2022. In 2024 & 2025 Aric’s personal archives were acquired by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Cornell University Library, and his architectural research library was donated in part to the University of Virginia, Notre Dame University Architecture Library, and the Cornell University Library. Aric passed away from ALS in June 2024. He is survived by his husband and partner of 26 years, Bert Green, his sister Cheri Lasher, and his mother Mary Ann Lasher.

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