Helmut Jahn died of multiple injuries in bicycle crash, autopsy shows
German architect Helmut Jahn killed in bike accident outside Chicago
Helmut Jahn, a prominent German architect who designed an Illinois state government building and worked on the design of the FBI headquarters in Washington, was killed when two vehicles struck the bicycle he was riding outside Chicago.
CHICAGO - An autopsy has determined renowned German architect, Helmut Jahn, died of multiple injuries from a bike accident that occurred last weekend outside Chicago.
Jahn, 81, was killed last Saturday while riding his bicycle on a village street in Campton Hills in Kane County, about 55 miles west of Chicago.
Jahn was struck by two vehicles after he failed to stop at a stop sign at an intersection, Campton Hills Police Chief Steven Miller said in a news release.
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He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Authorities say the driver of one of the vehicles that struck Jahn was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of the crash and are reconstructing the scene.
Architect Helmut Jahn during an interview on March 3, 1987 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Santi Visalli/Getty Images)
He moved to Chicago in 1966 to study under legendary architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a creator of modernist architecture, at the Illinois Institute of Technology, according to a profile posted on the website of his firm.
Jahn’s professional career began in 1967 when he joined CF Murphy Associates, which later became Murphy/Jahn. He worked on several major projects, including Chicago’s McCormick Place and the United Airlines terminal at O’Hare International Airport, which includes a walkway famous for its colorful lighting.
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One of his more controversial buildings was the James R. Thompson Building, a glass-sheathed, Illinois government office building in the Loop that opened in 1985. It was put up for sale last week. State officials say the 17-story building is a drain on state finances because it’s inefficient to operate and in need of hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs.
Jahn taught at the University of Illinois Chicago, Harvard University, Yale University and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.