CARL FISCHER April 19, 1939-March 25, 2022

“Both were very ambitious,” notes Karen Prange of her parents, Carl and Kay Fischer, “both in our family life, and in their careers and professional lives. When people think of my dad, it’s hard to think of him without Kay. They had the most amazing love affair, worked together, sailed together and raised a family together. They were truly inseparable, not because of dependency, but this deep-seated love they had.”

A year after marrying and blending a family of five children, Carl and Kay Fischer began Carl Fischer Associates out of their large South Walnut Street home in Springfield. Prange recalls a portion of the first floor of their home dedicated to her parents’ office and conference room, with draftsmen at work in the basement. The children played upstairs in the attic. “We were probably one of the first work-at-home families,” jokes Prange.

A native of Springfield’s north end, Fischer joined the U.S. Navy after graduating with a degree in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis. He returned to Springfield and worked for a couple of architecture firms before he and Kay partnered up. In 1982, after former coworker August Wisnosky joined the firm, it was renamed Fischer-Wisnosky Architects and then FWAI Architects. Farnsworth Group, a national full-service engineering, architectural and survey firm, acquired FWAI Architects in 2020, and it remains an integral part of Springfield’s architectural scene.

“Carl had a knack for design,” recounts Wisnosky, and was especially skilled in the area of historical restorations. The renovation of former President Ronald Reagan’s childhood home in Dixon, Illinois, was Fischer’s pride and joy. He spent time with the Reagans, reportedly hearing many family stories and spending Reagan’s birthday with him.

Prange notes Fischer’s lasting impact on the vistas of the streets of Springfield. “I think if you go through Springfield and look at the buildings that he designed, or influenced the design on, you’ll see grace and simplicity. His buildings are not plain. They’re not ordinary. But they’re also not ostentatious, nor elaborate in ornamentation. They have this simple elegance to them that make them timeless.”
Fischer’s interest and skill in historical renovations brought him requests to renovate many homes in the area of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. He purchased the old Broadwell’s Drug Store at Fifth and Washington streets in the early 1980s and made it his office. Fischer donated the Broadwell building to the Springfield Art Association a year before his death.

“He did that partially because he knew the Art Association would take care of the building,” says Prange. “They recognize the beauty of it, and will take care of it in a way that selling for commercial reasons would not.” SAA is the long-term caretaker of Edwards Place, Springfield’s oldest home on its original foundation. The Broadwell building currently houses the SAA Collective gallery and the Michael Victor II Art Library, as well as art studios and labs.

Fischer also had a passion for sailing and woodworking. He and Kay were married during a sailing regatta. They raced sailboats for many years at Island Bay Yacht Club and later purchased a boat where they would spend several weeks every summer sailing.

“My fondest memories were of days spent on boats, because that’s where he relaxed,” recalls Prange. “He was the captain and we were his crew. He loved being on water.” Fischer taught all of his grandchildren to swim. “It was important to him that they could take care of themselves in the water,” says Prange.

When Carl and Kay built a house in Petersburg, a woodworking shop was part of the plans. “He finally got to do what he wanted,” says Prange, of Fischer’s many hours of making furniture and all of the wooden parts needed for their boat.

Prange notes that in her entryway is a shelving unit Fischer made with medicine drawers from the Broadwell building. “Appreciation for all things and taking care and reusing them was not just in his career, but in his hobbies,” she says.

Prange says Fischer became more appreciative of his family as he aged, with five children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren added to their blended family.

“His love for us grew as his family grew. When he passed away earlier this year, the last time he talked with us, it wasn’t about the business or his accolades. He just thanked us for being such a wonderful family. That’s what he left us with. He was a wonderful man.”

Carey Smith appreciates being invited into someone’s inner world to shine a light on its distinctive beauty.