E.J. Messersmith Jr., 86, architect for Veterans Stadium concessions

Ernest John Messersmith Jr., 86, of Radnor, an architect in the Philadelphia area for a half-century, died Thursday, March 8, of complications from dementia at the Wayne Center, a nursing facility.

"E.J.," as he was known, maintained a solo architectural practice in Philadelphia and then worked from home starting in 1988 under the corporate name EJM Inc. In 2000, he joined the Knabb Partnership, an architectural firm in Berwyn.

"Mr. Messersmith is the in-house authority on recreational facilities," the company wrote when he joined its ranks.

He is credited with designing two research buildings at Pennsylvania State University and athletic facilities at Gratz High School and the Marcus Foster Recreation Center, both in Philadelphia.

He also was the architect for the basketball arena at the Villanova Athletic Complex  as well as facilities inside Veterans Stadium. The facilities included the Stadium Club, concessions, and video-screen display. Veterans Stadium was imploded in March 2004.

In the April 4, 1971, issue of the Inquirer, Mr. Messersmith explained how he went about identifying the concession areas. There were 60 of them, 48 for food and 12 for novelties and souvenirs. He devised a color code, so that fans could see from a distance what each stand served. Orange was for soda, beer, coffee, hot chocolate, hot dogs, French fries, peanuts, and popcorn. Orange with yellow indicated the previous items plus pizza, hamburgers, roast beef sandwiches, and fried chicken. Blue stood for ice cream.

"The fan will be able to walk up to any stand and get almost instantly the items that constitute 80 percent of the concession business – beer, soda, hot dogs, and hot chocolate," Mr. Messersmith told the Inquirer.

"The truth of the matter is, it's too much," he said. "But we were given 60 spaces to fill in the stadium contract, and we filled them."

When not at the drawing board or computer, Mr. Messersmith took an active role in professional organizations. He served as vice president and board member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

From 2003 through 2009, he served as vice president and board member of the Society of American Registered Architects-Pennsylvania Council and for several years chaired the organization's design awards program.

During the Bicentennial celebration in 1976, in the role of society president, Mr. Messersmith chaired the group's statewide convention in Philadelphia.

"John Chancellor, anchor of the NBC Nightly News, was the keynote speaker that year, which made my father very happy," said his daughter, Adrienne Scanlon. "He saved the program book with Chancellor's signature."

Born in Baltimore, Mr. Messersmith graduated from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, a high school. He was a 1954 graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, with bachelor's degrees in science and architecture. After military service as an Air Force officer, he went back to Georgia Tech and earned a master's degree in architecture in 1957.

One of Mr. Messersmith's greatest joys was mentoring young architects, his family said.  Soon after joining the AIA, he was given the task of creating a program to record the professional activities of architectural interns.

"This enabled young architects to attest to work done during their period of training, prior to achieving their professional license," his family said. That was important because it created a database that could be checked by prospective employers.

As an outgrowth of the AIA program, Mr. Messersmith and architect Hugh M. Zimmers established an interns' task force that provided free planning and development services in Philadelphia neighborhoods where residents could not pay for such services.

Mr. Messersmith was a frequent writer of letters to the editor. A supporter of President George W. Bush, he wrote to the Inquirer in late December 2006 expressing his disapproval of the Democratic Party.

"This many days past the Nov. 7 elections, the score reads: Number of interviews given by Democrats, morning, noon, and evening – 368. Number of new ideas – 0," he wrote. "As the next few years unfold, two things will become clearer. One, that the terrorist infestation is far more deadly, devious and widespread than has yet been publicly acknowledged. And two, our liberal friends, who are busy picking out the drapes for their new offices, have absolutely no idea what to do about it."

An avid golfer, Mr. Messersmith enjoyed the camaraderie and challenges of the links, his family said.

He was married to Cullen Rose, with whom he had two children. They divorced. She survives.

He also is survived by his life partner, Liz Thompson; children Adrienne Scanlon and Ernest John Messersmith III; and five grandchildren.

Funeral services were private.