Allen Harris Mushinsky

Allen is survived by Beverly, his beloved wife of 57 years; his daughter, Suzanne Buckholtz, and her husband, David; and his cherished grandsons, Levi and Frankie Buckholtz.

A gifted architect, thoughtful leader, and devoted family man, Allen founded MVA Architects in 1979. Over the following decades, he built the award-winning Washington-area firm into a respected practice known for its urban design, retail, mixed-use, and commercial architecture.

Allen believed that architecture should serve people and strengthen the communities in which they live. His work helped transform the familiar places of everyday life—neighborhood shopping centers, grocery stores, streetscapes, and mixed-use developments—into more welcoming, livable, and enduring parts of their communities.

Among the projects that reflected his vision were an early Giant Food shopping center in Germantown, Maryland; the redevelopment of Tivoli Square in Washington, D.C., including the preservation and renovation of the historic Tivoli Theatre; and the original Bread & Circus, now Whole Foods Market, in Clarendon, Arlington. The Clarendon project helped establish a long and influential relationship between MVA Architects and Whole Foods Market, and illustrated Allen’s conviction that even practical commercial buildings could be thoughtfully designed, responsive to their neighborhoods, and meaningful to the people who used them.

Allen was deeply committed to his clients, his community, and the people who worked alongside him. He established a culture at MVA Architects rooted in collaboration, professionalism, integrity, and genuine care for others. He valued the shared work of architects, planners, consultants, clients, and communities, and he mentored generations of architects through both his high standards and his generosity of spirit.

Allen’s legacy lives on in the buildings and communities shaped by his work, in the firm he founded, and in the many colleagues, clients, friends, and family members whose lives he enriched with his wisdom, kindness, and devotion.

Memorial services will be held at Garden of Remembrance, 14321 Comus Rd. Clarksburg, MD, on Friday, September 25, at 11:00 a.m. The the family is receiving visitors at the residence following the service on Friday, afternoon Saturday and Sunday. Shiva Sunday and Monday at 7pm

In lieu of flowers, donations in Allen’s memory may be made to Am Kolel, Lab Rescue of LRCP (lab-rescue.org)the ACLU, or a charity of your choice.