Frank B. Hollenbeck, Architect, Artist, Singer

Frank Bradbury Hollenbeck, 84, a prolific architect who also was an artist and singer, died at his Springs house last Thursday with his wife at his side. His death was attributed to complications of Alzheimer’s disease.

Mr. Hollenbeck’s firm here is Hollenbeck and Smith of Wainscott. He began his career in Manhattan, designing luxury apartment buildings for the firm of John Prine. Moving to New Jersey, he became known for churches, rectories, schools, and libraries. In East Hampton, his practice provided, in his own words, “all the services needed by a small town/resort community.” His work ranged from the Rowdy Hall complex in East Hampton and other commercial spaces to hundreds of residences across the South Fork. His houses often had curved decks and were described as having both cohesiveness and a floating effect.

He was born on Feb. 1, 1932, in Camden, N.J., to Alexander Doty Hollenbeck and the former Maria Auza Harding. His mother, a Cuban immigrant who was in real estate, sparked his interest in architecture. He grew up in Stamford and Wilton, Conn., and went to Dartmouth College. After graduating in 1954, he served in the Army for two years. In the service, he was assigned to military intelligence, analyzing photographs taken over China, and guarding prisoners of the Korean War. He thought of his service and being stationed in Japan and Korea as a wonderful adventure, his family said.

Mr. Hollenbeck and Joan Marie Ueberroth met when he was a graduate student at the Columbia University School of Architecture. Upon graduation, in June of 1960, he won a prize that paid for six months of architectural study in Europe. They were married that month, on June 18, and the prize paid for their honeymoon.

As a painter, Mr. Hollenbeck concentrated on the East End’s houses, beaches, and landscapes. He supported other artists, buying their work and volunteering at Guild Hall art exhibitions. He was in the cast of several plays at Guild Hall, including a production of “Guys and Dolls.” A member of the Whalers Barbershop Chorus, he wrote and published its newsletter and, with three other members, ran a singing Valentine business for decades; they would surprise recipients with a rose, a box of candy, and a serenade on bended knees.

 A parishioner of Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in East Hampton, Mr. Hollenbeck sang in its choir and designed its parish center. He was said to have read every science fiction book in the East Hampton Library, with librarians calling to let him know when a new one arrived.

The Hollenbecks, who reared six children here, were known for their hospitality; they had an open house policy, taking in anyone in need of a bed. His family said he took great joy in his children and grandchildren, keeping up with their interests. He organized a Springs soccer league when his sons were younger, piling the team into his Ford Econovan for away games. Later, his dramatic Dr. Seuss readings attracted “toddlers like magnets,” his family wrote. 

They described him as a gentleman “who could only speak the truth” and said “a dry sense of humor and nonjudgmental nature were hallmarks of his character.”

  In addition to his wife of 56 years, Mr. Hollenbeck is survived by his children: Lynn Hollenbeck and Kenneth Hollenbeck, both of San Francisco, Susan Kalinchak of Pottersville, N.J., Karen Cyrus of Wilmette, Ill., and Jan Piscciatta of Bayville. His oldest son, who was named for his father, died in a car accident in 1990; he had been an architect in Los Angeles. He also is survived by 13 grandchildren and a brother and sister, Paul Hollenbeck of Andover, Mass., and Maria Hollenbeck of New York City.

A wake will take place tomorrow at Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton from 2 to 4 p.m., and a Mass will be said at Most Holy Trinity Church on Saturday at 10 a.m. His ashes will be placed in the church crematorium, which he designed. Memorial donations have been suggested to the Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, D.C. 20090-6011.