Pandurang Dattatraya Yerawadekar

The first Chief Architect of the New York State Unified Court System, Pandurang Dattatraya Yerawadekar, known as ‘Mr. Prakash’ throughout the state, passed away in Washington DC on July 18. He was 85. Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Sushama, sons Sameer and Nikhil, and a granddaughter.

He was the first architect to receive the prestigious Bernard Botein Award from The Association of the Bar of the City of New York “For Outstanding Contributions To The Administration of The Courts.”

In their “Public Architect” award to Prakash, the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter stated, “he has played a key role in creating New York State’s court facilities program to make it the largest statewide justice project in the nation. A tireless advocate for the public benefits of the quality architecture and urban design, Mr. Yerawadekar passionately committed to the recognition of the important role court facilities play in our democracy. His dedication to the detail of design coupled with his vision for the future creates a legacy throughout New York State for future generations.”

He suggested floating a municipal bond with two or three other localities to get a lower interest rate to the mayor of Beacon City, which was very much appreciated.

His impromptu, jovial public speaking style was unique.

His beautiful calligraphy was requested by a colleague for her wedding invitation and by another for her parents’ wedding anniversary; he complied happily.

Born in Pune, India, Prakash aced all academic exams that he took, often standing first. He studied architecture at Sir J.J. School of Art and Architecture, standing first in his Bachelor of Architecture exam at the University of Bombay (now Mumbai).

After working for the architectural firm Bajpayee Madan Patki & Rajdhan in Mumbai, he migrated to England where he first worked for Architect James D. Shearer in London.

He went on to earn his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Liverpool. He would have gone on to earn a Doctorate in Architecture at the University of Nottingham with Professor Dicks, but his English friends were migrating to commonwealth countries for better prospects and persuaded him to migrate too. He picked the United States over any of the commonwealth countries.