John Carl Warnecke

John Carl Warnecke
John Carl Warnecke and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy discuss plans for Lafayette Square in September 1962.
Born	(1919-02-24)February 24, 1919 Oakland, California, U.S.
Died	April 17, 2010(2010-04-17) (aged 91) Healdsburg, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Architect
Practice	John Carl Warnecke & Associates

John Carl Warnecke (February 24, 1919 – April 17, 2010) was an architect based in San Francisco, California, who designed numerous notable monuments and structures in the Modernist,Bauhaus, and other similar styles. He was an early proponent of contextual architecture. Among his more notable buildings and projects are the Hawaii State Capitol building, the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame memorial gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery, and the master plan for Lafayette Square (which includes his designs for the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building and the New Executive Office Building).

Warnecke was born on February 24, 1919, in Oakland, California. His father, Carl I. Warnecke, was a prominent architect in Oakland and San Francisco. His mother, Margaret Esterling Warnecke, was a descendant of Dutch settlers who came to Sonoma County, California, in the 1870s.

He received his bachelor's degree (cum laude) from Stanford University in 1941. He played football at Stanford, and was a member of the undefeated 1940 Stanford Indians football team (nicknamed the "Wow Boys") that won the 1941 Rose Bowl. A shoulder injury incurred while playing football prevented him from being drafted or serving in the U.S. military during World War II. While studying at Stanford, Warnecke made the acquaintance of John F. Kennedy, who was auditing courses at the university. Warnecke received his masters degree in architecture from Harvard University in 1942, completing the three-year course in a single year. While attending Harvard, he studied with the highly influential architect, Walter Gropius.