Robert L. Brown, Jr.

Robert L. Brown, Jr.  died on April 23, 2026, at the age of 74.

Robert L. Brown, Jr. FAIA compiled an exemplary record of public service during his career, impacting how the entire profession of architecture is practiced in Georgia. Mr. Brown earned his architecture degree from Tuskegee University and established his firm R L Brown & Associates in 1984.

His role as a true Citizen Architect included leadership positions with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, Citizens Trust Bank, and Agnes Scott College. He.  was a long-serving member of the Georgia Historical Society Board of Curators beginning in 2005, holding offices of Treasurer, Vice Chairman, and Chairman. But perhaps his most significant contribution was in setting the direction of the Georgia Department of Transportation, serving as its Chair in 2016-17 and on the Board for more than a decade.

Highlights of his design portfolio include iconic work on the campuses of Morehouse College and Tuskegee University as well as the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Mr. Brown was elevated to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows in 1999. He was widely respected for his commitment to mentoring upcoming generations of architects, with many of them now in important leadership roles in the profession in Georgia.

For these reasons – a commitment to civic leadership, education, and mentorship, he received the 2017 AIA Georgia Bernard B. Rothschild award, the highest honor the AIA Georgia can give to an architect.

In 2017, he also received the John Macpherson Berrien Award for a lifetime of achievement in the field of Georgia history and for outstanding service to GHS. Robert was inducted by the Governor of Georgia and GHS in 2020 as a Georgia Trustee, the highest honor the State can confer. He truly embodied the original Georgia Trustees’ motto, Non Sibi, Sed Aliis, “Not for Self, But for Others.”