James Terrell (M.Arch ’68) was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1944. He graduated from Central High School in Evansville, IN in 1961 before pursuing a BA in architecture from Depauw University. Following his graduation from the Yale School of Architecture in 1968, Terrell became a nationally respected architect, serving as the store design manager for major retailers including Macy’s, Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue.

A member of the American Institute of Architects and the Institute of Store Planners, Terrell’s innovative department store designs won him the Store of the Year Award four times. Terrell was a founding partner of Hambrecht Terrell International in 1980, eventually serving as the firm’s president. He also chaired the fund-raising committee of the Design Industry Foundation for AIDS, using his connections in the fashion industry to creatively raise money for AIDS research, education and patient care. 

Terrell died of AIDS on August 19, 1989 at New York Hospital.

He was 45 years old.

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