PRINCETON — Famed Princeton-based architect and designer Michael Graves died in Princeton Thursday at age 80.

From unique architecture to simple housewares found at Target, Graves' designs are internationally acclaimed. Michael Graves & Associates design firm, based in Princeton on Nassau Street, posted an announcement to its website Thursday saying Graves died peacefully of natural causes in his Princeton home.

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An installation of Graves' work headlines Grounds For Sculpture's fall and winter exhibition season, which opened Oct. 18 and will be on display until April 5. The exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of his Princeton design firm.

We are incredibly shocked & saddened to learn of Michael Graves' passing. We're forever grateful to him for making the world more beautiful. — GroundsForSculpture (@gfsnj) March 12, 2015

"No one has made a bigger impact on the world of architecture, certainly from Mercer County, than Michael Graves," Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes said. "Some people think architects are just people who draw up buildings. They are artists in themselves, and Michael was clearly an artist. He will be greatly missed by the Mercer County community."

Since 2003, Graves was paralyzed from the chest down as a result of a spinal cord infection.

"We're sad to hear of his passing," Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert said. "He was a man who made a significant impact on the world through his designs."

Princeton University's Dean of Faculty Deborah Prentice said Graves was much more than a brilliant designer.

"He was a beloved professor and a much-sought-after thesis adviser," she said. "His design studios and seminars were legendary among both undergraduate and graduate students."

Max Hayden, an architect based in Hopewell Township, worked with Graves for about two years at the Princeton office in the 1990s, he said. Graves was always pleasant to work with, even during late-night hours, Hayden said.

"I respected his work. It was an amazing experience to work with him," Hayden said. "It opened doors. It gave me validity."

Graves also attended Hayden's wedding in 2001.

"He was just a nice guy, extremely talented," Hayden said. "People of that caliber can be mean and arrogant. Michael wasn't. He was nice."

Some of Graves' work in the Grounds For Sculpture exhibition include those for the Denver Central Library and the Team Disney Building in Burbank, Calif. Others feature household and domestic items, such as bowls and vases for Steuben Glass and Graves' famous Alessi tea kettle.

Graves also designed the scaffolding used for the restoration of the Washington Monument.

Jeff Nathanson, executive director of the Arts Council of Princeton, said the organization is grateful to Graves for designing the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts on Witherspoon Street.

"It is, as he intended, making an important contribution to the cultural life in the Princeton community," he said.

An Indianapolis native, Graves received architectural training at the University of Cincinnati and Harvard University and has won hundreds of prestigious awards for his work, receiving the National Medal of Arts from former President Bill Clinton in 1999.

In 2010, Graves was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Three years later, President Barack Obama appointed Graves to the United States Access Board, a federal agency offering guidance on designs compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Kean University in Union announced a newly-formed Michael Graves School of Architecture in October.



Staff writer Rich Cuccagna contributed to this report.

Nicole Mulvaney may be reached at nmulvaney@njtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter @NicoleMulvaney. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.