US firm’s former president and chairman known for designing corporate headquarters including San Francisco’s Levi’s Plaza
Former HOK chairman Bill Valentine has died in California at the age of 88.
Valentine worked at the St Louis-based practice for 50 years, joining in 1962 as a Harvard graduate when the firm, which now employs around 1,700 people, had a headcount of just 50.
Along with HOK’s founders George F. Hellmuth, Gyo Obata, and George Kassabaum, Valentine is credited with driving the firm’s global expansion and was a key figure in its growth on the west coast of the US, where he set up its San Francisco office in 1970.
He served as design principal and president from 2000 to 2005 before becoming chairman until his retirement in 2012.
Valentine’s best known projects include headquarters buildings for Apple, Microsoft, Adobe and, most famously, Levi Strauss’ 1981 head office Levi’s Plaza in San Francisco.
He also designed civic buildings including the Phoenix Municipal Courthouse and major international projects such as King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
HOK co-chief executive Eli Hoisington paid tribute to Valentine on Monday, saying: “Bill brought a lightness to the work that belied how seriously he took it.
“He knew how to make everyone feel heard and then gently guide the team toward what he thought was the best design solution without anyone ever feeling pushed.
“And he never lost the sense that what we do, as important as it is, should be fun. That spirit is part of HOK’s DNA, and Bill is the reason.”
Anton Foss, managing principal of HOK’s San Francisco office, added: “Bill was the heart of our San Francisco studio, even in retirement.
“We’d have lunch three or four times a year, and every time, he’d say, ‘Anton, I just want to know everything.’
“He loved this firm. And he softly but very intentionally instilled in all of us that our job is to solve our clients’ problems, not to design a monument to ourselves. That’s the mindset he passed down to generations of HOK designers.”
Obata, in a video tribute played at Valentine’s 2012 retirement celebration at Levi’s Plaza, said: “Bill has the kind of personality that’s very cheerful, friendly and open. That makes it easy for clients to talk to him so he can get to the essence of what the solution should be.”
Valentine was preceded in death by his wife, Jane Dorward Valentine, who died in 2022. He is survived by his children, Kayvee, Annie and Will, and six grandchildren.
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