We remember Jake as a special human being, as a friend, and professionally as a colleague, teacher and mentor. He was born in Johannesburg, the eldest of four sons, and his family moved to Pretoria where he attended school, matriculating from Hoërskool Menlo Park.

He built up friendships in Pretoria, did his National Service in the Air Force near Langebaan, and attended Tukkies to qualify as an architect. Many of his friends moved to Cape Town and Jake came to live and work here, first at Die Burger as a court reporter, then for an architectural practice. He began his long relationship with CPUT (former Cape Technikon) in the 1980s, first as a part-time lecturer and later as HOD of Architectural Technology. He shone as an innovative educator and mentor; he was instrumental in creating a new degree system that allowed mobility between the vocational programmes at the Technikons and traditional architectural courses at Universities. Jake was also a pioneer in the process of obtaining professional recognition for and registration of architectural technologists.

He lived in Wynberg, close to the Village, which gave him a central base to focus his private architectural practice on heritage issues. He also worked part-time for the local municipality as a heritage consultant, caring deeply about retaining the historic integrity of local buildings, and their story.

He drew and painted throughout his life, and developed a passion for heritage in Cape Town and small towns like Robertson, McGregor and Malmesbury, where he held exhibitions of his drawings of the local historical buildings. He designed houses in McGregor, Darling and Llandudno; and redeveloped Darling station into Evita se Perron.

He was instrumental in the conceptualizing, facilitation and publication of the book ‘Texture and Memory, The Urbanism of District Six (Pistorius, Harris, Bezzoli, Marks, Kruger).

He was on SACAP’s validation committee. He served on SAHRA’s Belcom Committee, was Chair and long-time member of the Institute’s heritage committee and was also a member of the education committee. In 2002 he was a founder member of APHP.

His heritage impact assessments and heritage studies included 43 to 47 Buitenkant Street, Cape Town; Princess Vlei; Wynberg Synagogue; Bethel Farm, Hout Bay; Mandela Rhodes Place, St George’s Mall; Groot Drakenstein Rural Housing Settlement, Groot Drakenstein; as well as work at the Newlands Brewery.

We honour Jake for his compassion, his irrepressible and irreverent sense of humour, his commitment and loving kindness. His warmth, humility, energy and engagement with everyone he met, endeared him to us. He made sacrifices and always wished to serve, often at the expense of his personal time and health. He left this life at peace, after his long, courageous journey with colon cancer. He leaves his wife and two daughters.