It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our founder, Vernon D. Swaback, FAIA, FAICP, on July 5, 2026.
Vern Swaback founded this firm in 1978 with a conviction that great architecture begins with a deep respect for the land, the community, and the people a place is meant to serve. Over nearly five decades, he grew SWABACK from a one-man practice into a nationally recognized firm, while never losing sight of the philosophy that drove him from the beginning. A Fellow of both the American Institute of Architects and the American Institute of Certified Planners, a former Chairman and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, an author of 14 books, and one of the last direct apprentices of Frank Lloyd Wright, Vern brought a rare depth of purpose to everything he touched.
To those of us who had the privilege of working alongside him, he was as much a teacher as he was a founder. His vision, his generosity, and his boundless curiosity shaped not only the places we design but the way we think about our responsibility to the world around us.
His architecture shaped places. His wisdom shaped people. He will be deeply missed.
“Great architecture doesn’t impose on its landscape — it completes it.”
For over four decades, SWABACK Architects + Planners has shaped the built environment across the United States and beyond. Our practice traces its lineage to Frank Lloyd Wright, whose apprentice Vernon D. Swaback founded this firm in 1978 on the belief that buildings grow from the land and community they serve.
Today we bring together architecture, landscape architecture, planning, and urban design under one roof — each discipline informing the others, always in service of the same foundational question: how does this belong?
FROM THE LAND. SHAPED BY PLACE. FOR WHAT ENDURES.
Architecture and Planning design firm located in Scottsdale, AZ
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NEWS
Halo Vista – 2,300-acre city within a city – broke ground in North Phoenix
Painted Sky Park at Blossom Rock wins an award for “Most Outstanding Facility”
APACHE JUNCTION, AZ. – We’re thrilled to see Painted Sky Park at Blossom Rock named “Most Outstanding Facility” at the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association (APRA) 2025 Conference. As the architect and planner for the Blossom Rock master-planned development, SWABACK was honored to collaborate on Painted Sky Park – a 16-acre community gem.
