Charles Albert York

Born on February 16, 1965, in Alabama, Al was adopted by Ralph and Mildred "Jo" York, joining his sister Joanna in a loving household. His father, a bridge-building clerk, and his mother, a housewife, raised him in Birmingham. Al attended public schools and thrived at Huffman High School, where he was President of the Class of 1983, played varsity basketball, and engaged in various clubs and activities. After deciding to pursue a degree in architecture, he was scouted by the Dean of the College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC) at Auburn University, and he was awarded a full scholarship.

During his time at Auburn, Al earned the respect and admiration of both classmates and faculty for his clarity of thought, attention to detail and beautiful drawings. Among the few female architecture students at Auburn was his future wife Sharon Fleming, whom he began dating while in their shared 5th-year architecture thesis studio. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Auburn University in 1988 with a minor in Philosophy.

Anticipating a bright future with Sharon, he bought a new car, moved to Baltimore, where he interned at Amy Gould Architects before applying to Cornell University. At Cornell, Al thrived as a teaching assistant, igniting a lifelong enthusiasm for education, and graduated with High Honors in 1992, with a minor in urban planning.

Driven by a passion for design thinking and pedagogy, Al sought a role in academia and became an Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Packing up a U-Haul, Al and Sharon were “Gone to Texas” the day after his thesis defense in Ithaca. At Texas Tech, Al made a significant impact on both students and the program alike and was promoted to a leadership position in their undergraduate program, shaping their curriculum for NCARB accreditation. After several years on the High Plains, the couple relocated to Austin in 1995, where she found a job with the Texas Historical Commission, and he joined Heather H. McKinney Architects, founded by Heather McKinney in 1983.

With Heather and, later, principal Michelle Rossamondo, Al helped develop the firm, which was renamed McKinney York Architects (MYA) in 2008, into a leading mid-sized Texas architecture firm with a broad range of civic and institutional clients. Throughout his 31-year tenure at MYA, the firm received numerous design awards and professional distinctions, including AIA Austin Firm Achievement Award in 2007 and Texas Society of Architects Firm of the Year in 2013.

As a firm principal, Al was known for his design skills and technical knowledge, but he placed equal value on a full breadth of the architectural profession including its practical aspects. He adeptly generated innovative design concepts and developed them into realizable projects within budget constraints. His respected business acumen led to thoughtful project proposals and accurate cost estimates, iron-clad legal contracts, astute real estate development plans and even aspirational performance review/professional development plans for MYA staff.

Al was particularly proud of his firm’s commitment to serving underserved communities, and projects such as the Austin Shelter for Women and Children, the Texas School for the Deaf Administration and Welcome Center, the African American Cultural and Heritage Facility in East Austin, and mission-driven initiatives like St. Julian of Norwich Episcopal Church’s new campus plan.

His passion for teaching and mentoring flourished throughout his career, and he worked diligently to advance diversity for women and other minorities within the field of architecture. Al's service included a position as President of AIA Austin in 2005-06 and serving on another dozen or so AIA committees, including chairing the Design Awards Committee for the Texas Society of Architects, as well as a founder of the Texas Architectural Foundation, now Design Austin. He was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2016, a high honor recognizing his commitment to architectural excellence and his profound and lasting impact on the profession and city he loved.

Al placed equal importance on his family life as he did on the success of his firm. His devotion to supporting Sharon's career was evident as she positively impacted Texas in the field of historic preservation, serving as Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer. Their first residence in Austin, a historic home in Old Enfield, was proudly included on the AIA Austin Homes Tour in 2004. Al's hands-on approach to parenting was also evident in his project, Tree Fort #9, which he built with his young sons during Spring Break at their house in Westlake. This unique endeavor won a 2014 AIA Austin Design Citation, recognized as "One Dad, One week, One Thousand Bucks."

In addition to these achievements, Al actively supported his three sons in their various interests and struggles with dyslexia. He served for over a decade on the Board of the Rawson-Saunders School. In this role, he promoted extraordinary education for students with dyslexia, acting as their facilities advisor. He also coached youth basketball, cheered enthusiastically at Westlake Pop Warner football games, and attended many Westlake choir and musical performances. Crafting award-winning Pinewood Derby cars together created cherished memories, while playing guitar lullabies, he fostered a loving atmosphere at home.

As the children of architects, Dylan, Anthony and Ryan enjoyed ample exposure to amazing places. They traveled extensively across the U.S. in their own version of an architectural grand tour, along the way laying out a design for living and shaping young minds as he had throughout his career. Al enjoyed sketching landmarks on their travels. He produced approximately 700 pencil drawings between 2015 and 2025, which he liked to share on Facebook, and they will be compiled into a printed book. It was a glorious life filled with good times and joyful work that ended too soon, especially for those whom he lovingly guided and supported.

Left to remember him are his wife of 34 years, Sharon Fleming, and their three sons, Dylan, Anthony, and Ryan York, a trio of fine young men. He is also survived by siblings Joanna York, his mother-in-law Joanne Fleming, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and cousins in Alabama, his colleagues, clients, and many friends.

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/

Remembrance Celebration will be held on Sunday, Dec 14, 1PM to 3PM at The Preserve in Hoover in Birmingham. Please RSVP to [email protected]

Funeral Service and Interment for the family, close friends and out of town guests (due to space limitations) will be held on Saturday, Jan 10th. Please RSVP to [email protected]

Remembrance Celebration in Austin will be held Sunday, Jan 11th, 1PM to 3PM at Hogg Auditorium, UT campus. Link to RSVP will be provided soon.

Requests for a copy of forthcoming book, if not attending events above, send address to: [email protected]