Charles Albert York

Born on February 16, 1965, in Alabama, Al was adopted by Ralph and Mildred “Jo” York and raised in Birmingham alongside his sister Joanna. He thrived at Huffman High School—Class of 1983 President, varsity basketball player, and active participant in numerous clubs. Drawn to architecture, he was recruited by the Dean of Auburn University’s CADC and awarded a full scholarship.

At Auburn, Al earned deep respect for his clarity of thought, meticulous drawings, and disciplined work. There he met fellow architecture student Sharon Fleming, whom he began dating during their shared thesis studio and with whom he won “Best Dressed” at the 1988 Beaux Arts Ball in a borrowed tuxedo. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1988 with a minor in Philosophy.

After graduation, Al splurged on a new car moved to Baltimore for an internship with Amy Gould Architects before pursuing graduate studies at Cornell University. He excelled as a teaching assistant, discovered a lifelong passion for education, and graduated with High Honors in 1992 with a minor in urban planning.

Committed to design thinking and pedagogy, at the age of 27 he became an Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Packing up a U-Haul, Al and Sharon set out for Texas the day after his thesis defense in Ithaca. At Texas Tech, Al made a big impact on the students and program and was promoted to a leadership position for their undergraduate program. After several years on the High Plains, Al and Sharon relocated to Austin in 1995 — she to the Texas Historical Commission, and he to Heather H. McKinney Architects, later McKinney York Architects (MYA).

With Heather, and later principal Michelle Rossamondo, Al helped to develop the firm, renamed as McKinney York Architects in 2008, from a firm whose work was primarily residential into a leading mid-sized Texas architecture firm with a broad range of civic and institutional clients and award-winning projects. Over his 31 years at MYA, the firm earned major honors including the AIA Austin Firm Achievement Award (2007) and Texas Society of Architects Firm of the Year (2013). As a principal, he combined design talent with exceptional technical and business acumen, guiding projects from concept through construction with rigor and imagination.

Al was especially proud of work serving underserved communities, including the Austin Shelter for Women and Children, the Texas School for the Deaf Administration and Welcome Center, the African American Cultural and Heritage Facility, and mission-oriented clients like St Julian of Norwich Episcopal Church campus plan. His commitment to mentorship and equity in architecture was equally strong. He served as President of AIA Austin, chaired numerous committees, co founded the Austin Foundation for Architecture, and was elevated to Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2016.

Family life was central to Al. He championed Sharon’s career in historic preservation and poured creativity into their home life—from remaking their Old Enfield residence for the 2004 AIA Austin Homes Tour to building “Tree Fort #9” at their Westlake home with his sons, a project that earned a 2014 AIA Austin Design Citation. He supported Dylan, Anthony, and Ryan in their own pursuits, including their journeys with dyslexia, serving more than a decade on the Rawson Saunders School Board and advising on facilities.

He coached youth basketball, cheered at football games, attended choir and musical performances, crafted Pinewood Derby cars, and played guitar lullabies—small acts that built a warm, joyful household. The family traveled widely, creating their own architectural grand tour. Along the way, Al sketched prolifically, producing nearly 700 pencil drawings between 2015 and 2025, soon to be collected in book form.

Al’s life was rich with purpose, creativity, and love. Left to remember him are his wife of 34 years, Sharon Fleming, and their sons Dylan, Anthony, and Ryan York—three fine young men—along with his siblings Joanna York, Kimber and Andamo Deming, mother in law Joanne Fleming, extended family in Alabama, and countless colleagues, clients, and friends whose lives he touched.

Al requested that, in lieu of flowers, any donations made in his honor go to the Al York Fund at Rawson Saunders School in Austin https://www.rawsonsaunders.org/about/support-us/al-york-fund or to the McKinney York Scholarship fund for female architecture students at the University of Texas at Austin through the Texas Architectural Foundation https://texasarchitects.org/contribute-to-taf/

A Funeral Mass and Inurnment Service will be held on Saturday, Jan 10th, 2 pm to 4 pm at St. Julian of Norwich Episcopal Church in Cedar Park, Texas. The livestream for this service can be found at https://www.youtube.com/@stjulianofnorwichatx

A Remembrance Celebration will be held Sunday, Jan 11th, 1 pm at Hogg Memorial Auditorium with a reception to follow in the Shirley Bird Perry Ballroom within the Texas Union at the University of Texas- Austin campus. The livestream for this celebration can be found at https://www.facebook.com/share/17BAnkPueR/

The family held a Remembrance Celebration in Birmingham, Alabama on Sunday, Dec 14.