Lucian Caste
Developed Caste Village in Whitehall
Lucian Caste, 88, of Upper St. Clair, passed peacefully on Wednesday, July 24, 2013, in Family Hospice in Mt. Lebanon, surrounded by his family.
He was the beloved son of the late Felix and Assunta Caste and nephew of the late Tony and Margaret Caste.
Mr. Caste was preceded in death by his wife, Joan Elizabeth Walton; his second wife, Rita Ebner Caste; and sisters, Mary Caste Danielson and Philomena Caste Teodori.
He was the proud, devoted father of Cicely Caste and husband Emmett O’Boyle of Salinas, Calif.; loving grandfather of James Lucian McCreight and wife Chappell Marmon of Boulder, Colo.; beloved brother of Felix Caste Jr.; and cherished uncle of many nieces and nephews, and especially Christine Danielson Isham, who was also his goddaughter.
Mr. Caste was an accomplished architect of great renown, as well as a developer, builder, philanthropist, world traveler, art collector, farmer and gardener. He was particularly proud of his Italian heritage and his service in World War II.
At 18, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was part of the second amphibious wave of the 5th Marine Division, which attacked the Japanese stronghold on Iwo Jima. Along with his fellow soldiers from the 28th Infantry regiment, he fought for 36 days in a ferocious and pivotal battle on the Pacific Front in World War II. In 1985, Caste returned to Iwo Jima for a gathering of American and Japanese survivors who came together to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the battle and dedicate themselves to work for world peace. He wrote a personal journal of that reunion and dedicated it to his grandson, James Lucian McCreight.
Following World War II, he studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania and at Carnegie Institute of Technology, earning a bachelor of architecture degree in 1950. Raised in a family of craftsmen and builders, he applied his architectural education to work beside and learn from his father, who built homes throughout the South Hills.
After graduation from Carnegie Tech, he joined his father to complete development of Caste Village in Whitehall, which was one of the first community shopping centers in suburban Pittsburgh. Caste Village provided retail shopping stores, bowling alleys, residential apartments, professional office buildings and community gathering places, surrounded by affordable homes for young families.
Mr. Caste’s architectural and engineering designs can be found across Western Pennsylvania and beyond. His most prominent works include St. Louise de Marillac Catholic Church and School; the John M. Conroy School for Exceptional Children; the Mercy Hospital Ambulatory Center; Christ United Methodist Church; Reliable Savings Bank; and the Upper St. Clair Post Office.
In the 1990s, he became more involved with Carnegie Mellon University as an eager alumnus. He served on the CMU Board of Trustees and continued as trustee emeritus until the time of his death. He was president of Andrew Carnegie Society, co-founder and president of Academy of Life Long Learning, and founding president of Cornerstones: Center for Architecture, Development and Building. Mr. Caste was a vigorous advocate for Carnegie Mellon’s global academic expansion, which began in the Silicon Valley of California and extended to Qatar in the Middle East. He also chaired the university’s design review committee and co-chaired the Carnegie Mellon 2000 Master Plan and the campus design statement committee.
Mr. Caste took great joy in nurturing the cooperative agreement between Oxford University in Great Britain and Carnegie Mellon University. He also was responsible for reuniting Andrew Carnegie’s family in Scotland and the Carnegie Mellon “family” in Pittsburgh. He was instrumental in bringing together 22 worldwide Carnegie Institutions, originally established by Andrew Carnegie, for an international conference in Pittsburgh.
He served on the board of Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Advisory Board for Fallingwater and was president of the art society of the Duquesne Club.
Mr. and Mrs. Caste traveled extensively to more than 50 countries around the world. He loved returning to his heritage country of Italy, to Japan, to the Scottish Highlands and to Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Mongolia.
Although he put in long days, he always looked forward to returning in the late evening to his Upper St. Clair home, which he called Farmstead. He tended his large garden, taking great pride in raising vegetables, which he shared with neighbors. He enjoyed his Belted Galway cows, playing the clarinet, and collecting books on art, architecture, history, philosophy and many other subjects. He loved good food and fine wine, and lifted many a toast to family, friends, colleagues and associates. One of his favorite culinary activities was the annual fruit cake cook-off with special friends Art and Sally Schwotzer.
Lucian Caste was a man of great passion, intellect, curiosity, and loyalty. He treasured his family and had many good friends from all walks of life in his community and around the world. His family asks friends and colleagues to celebrate his incredible life and treasure happy memories of him.
Family and friends will be received from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday in Beinhauer Funeral Home, 2828 Washington Road, Peters Township. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 31, in St. Louise de Marillac Church, Upper St. Clair, followed by a gravesite service for family members and invited friends in Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery, Peters Township. The family is requesting no flowers. Memorial donations may be made to Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture or Hillman Cancer Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.