We are sad to report Central Virginia has lost one of their own – Long time local architect, Sam Cleveland. We ask members to share any thoughts or memories on their time spent with Sam.
Samuel Sherwood Cleveland
(January 7, 1947 - December 9, 2024)
Samuel Sherwood Cleveland died peacefully at home surrounded by his family on Monday, December 9, 2024. Known to his friends as "Sam", he was born on January 7, 1947 in Brownwood, Texas, to Joseph Cleveland and Marguerite Slaughter Cleveland. He was graduated with honors from The University of Texas, School of Architecture at Austin in 1969. During the following six years Sam worked for several prominent architectural firms in Dallas before moving to Charlottesville in 1974
Upon moving to Charlottesville, Sam joined the architectural firm of Jack Rinehart and was the lead architect on the central branch of the Jefferson Madison Regional Library, which formerly had been the Post Office on Market Street in downtown Charlottesville. In the late 1970s, Sam opened his own architectural firm that traced its beginnings to 1979 when Sam and his partner designed and built their first project in Free Union, VA. The success of this first project led to the establishment of a construction company which built many of the private residences designed by Sam's firm. Between 1979 and 2024 Sam Cleveland Architects designed over forty residences in Virginia and as far away as Austin, Texas. Sam received many awards for excellence in design and was known for his meticulous attention to detail and unique understanding of how his clients used the spaces in which they lived. Sam never stopped designing. Even when on camping trips he would scribble drawings on napkins or on his ever-present notepad, while enjoying a glass of wine on the beach at sunset. When he wasn't designing, he loved working on his beloved bright red 1967 MGB roadster which he kept in mint condition. In 2017, Sam and his wife Anne drove the little MGB all the way to Colorado Springs. Just for insurance, the boot was loaded with spare parts but none were needed and they arrived back in Charlottesville safe and sound.
Sam will be dearly missed by his family and all the many friends and colleagues he leaves behind. A celebration of Sam's life will be held in Charlottesville in the spring. In Lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Hospice of the Piedmont at 675 Peter Jefferson Parkway, Charlottesville, VA 22911 or hopva.org.
Complete obituary can be found here.