Sir Michael Fowler, an architect who was a colourful and assertive mayor of Wellington, passed away at the age of 92. Edward Michael Coulson Fowler, a native of Marton in the Rangitikei area in 1929, was educated at Christ’s College as well as the University of Auckland. He also received a master’s in architecture from the University of Auckland.
When he was elected to the city council, in 1968, he was a partner in an architecture firm in Wellington. He was a renowned architect who had worked on a variety of buildings within the city. However, he felt frustrated when the council held up development because of inane reasons. Get The Latest Articles Updates On ETloot.com.
Sir Michael Fowler Cause Of Death
In 1974, he was elected mayor of Wellington and began to rebuild the city. He also initiated projects such as the concert hall and convention centre named after him. He deemed many buildings too dangerous for earthquakes and too costly to repair and pulled them down.
Fowler was considered a top-class Wellington marketer, but the Evening Post newspaper took him and his council to task for not disclosing more details about their operations. Some councillors accused Fowler of being hostile and making personal attacks against them. One councillor described his comments as rude and insensitive.
How Did Sir Michael Fowler Died?
In 1981, he was knighted and retired from local politics. He was elected by the National government to the chair of the Queen Elizabeth Arts Council in 1981. The Labour opposition condemned his appointment as grotesquely politically and full of cronyism. He never hesitated to criticize those who worked to preserve buildings that he considered rubbish and once called them jackbooted Zealots.
He illustrated many books about architecture and was awarded the New Zealand Institute of Architects Award of Honour as well as the Alfred O Glasse Award from the New Zealand Institute of Planning for his outstanding contributions to non-planners.
