Curtis Moody, founder and chairman of Columbus, Ohio-based firm Moody Nolan, died on Oct. 14 at age 73, according to an announcement on the company’s website.

In 1982, he founded Moody and Associates and the following year, partnered with engineer Howard Nolan to form Moody Nolan, according to an article from The Columbus Dispatch.

Throughout his career, Moody was a staunch advocate for educational and professional opportunities for architects of color. In 2021, Moody Nolan became the first African American-owned architecture firm to be recognized as the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Firm of the Year.

Moody received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from The Ohio State University (Columbus) in 1973. He also went on to study urban school planning and design at Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2000.

The national, multidisciplinary architecture firm has more than 350 employees in 12 locations around the country. Past healthcare projects include Friend Family Health Center in Chicago and Rainbow Ahuja Center for Women & Children for University Hospitals in Cleveland.