Carole Joan Polis Tiernan

September 19, 1944 – October 12, 2023

Carole Joan Polis Tiernan died peacefully at home in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, October 12th, 2023, after a long battle with metastatic cancer. Leading up to the day of her passing, Carole was visited by close friends and family near and far. She a met newborn, enjoyed a violin serenade, ate bowls of matzo ball soup, and celebrated her 79th birthday. The day of her passing, she was surrounded by loved ones, and a fresh cup of coffee.

Carole was known for her sharp mind, love of teaching, generosity, and determination. She was one of only a few women in the Department of Architecture at Pennsylvania State University, earning her B.A. in Arts & Architecture, M.S. in Architecture & Human Development, and Ph.D. in Man-Environment Relations in the late 1960s. Shortly thereafter, she worked in Boston as a Behavioral Design-Research Associate until she began her illustrious teaching career. Hired as the first woman to teach in the newly formed College of Design at Iowa State University in 1977, Carole began her quest to inspire and support women in architecture – many of whom would go on to be leaders in the field. Carole continued to shape the next generation of architects at Ball State University and Washington University in St. Louis – earning Outstanding Teaching Awards in Architecture and an AIA Education Award for her theory course. Over the years, Carole developed many personal relationships with colleagues and students which she always held close.

In addition to her extensive service in Academia spanning nearly four decades, she founded the architecture and design research group Palmer Tiernan Associates, Inc. with her husband, Sonne Palmer. Palmer Tiernan Associates advised US-based medical and corporate offices, designing alternative delivery systems, creating strategies for intergenerational living, and developing award winning adaptive design strategies for affordable housing.

Carole also led and advised on overseas projects including LG Corporation’s Kangnam Learning Research Center in Seoul, Korea, creating innovative environments to support new delivery and learning systems. With WW Charitable Trust in Maheshwar, India, Carole helped to develop curriculum for a design school training textile weavers. Following her retirement from Academia, the human environmental impacts of architecture and design continued to absorb her, leading to volunteer activities -- such as serving on the Board and later becoming Board President at her residence in The Foxhall Condominiums.

In addition to being an early champion of women in architecture, Carole simultaneously raised with much love and intellectual stimulation two daughters who survive her, Rian Tiernan based in Oakland, California and Kye Tiernan in Washington, D.C. She is also survived by her brother Alan Polis, dear friend and father of her daughters, Frank Tiernan, son-in-law’s Mark Graham and Alexander Dent, and her beloved grandchildren Dhavin Graham, McGreggor Graham, Neko Dent, and Sloan Dent.

Carole will be deeply missed by her family and friends and will always be remembered for her love of clean design, her ability to create spaces that feel just right, her passion for baby animals, her ability to turn any conversation into an educational moment, her night-owl tendencies, her desire to sketch ideas, her ability to pull anything out of her purse (from measuring tapes to a rubber-banded collection of multi-colored sharpies), and her unwavering love of coffee. We will all miss you, Ms. kaaw-fee -- pronounced with a long Philadelphia “A.”

In honor of Carole’s wishes, a gathering of family and friends will be held in the Spring of 2024. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.

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