Stephen Albert Jelicich (1 March 1923 – 19 December 2015) was a New Zealand

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and historian.

Early life and family

Born Stjepan Albert Jeličić on 1 March 1923 in

Sućuraj Sućuraj is the smallest town on the island of Hvar in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea, from the Dalmatian coast and 77 km from the town of Hvar. In Sućuraj, tourism and fishing are the primary economic activities. The town is the o ...

Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () has been its colloq ...

(present-day

Republic of Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Mont ...

), the son of Victor and Srećka Jeličić, the family emigrated to New Zealand in 1927. Stephen Jelicich became a naturalised New Zealander in 1928. He was educated at Sacred Heart College, and later studied at Auckland University College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1949. Jelicich married Barbara Jean McLennan in 1958.

Architectural practice

In 1949, Jelicich formed Brenner Associates in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

with fellow architects Desmond Mullen and Ron Grant and designer

Milan Mrkusich Milan Mrkusich (5 April 1925 – 13 June 2018) was a New Zealand artist and designer. He was considered a pioneer of abstract painting in New Zealand. Retrospective exhibitions of his work were organised by the Auckland Art Gallery in 1972 and 19 ...

. As well as architectural work, the firm engaged in integrated interior, exhibition, lighting and furniture design. In 1950 they established Auckland's first modern design store, specialising in imported and local furniture, ceramics, woodwork and glass. Brenner Associates was dissolved in about 1958, and Jelicich went into sole practice. Around 1960, Jelicich formed the Architects Planning Group, with the aim of influencing planning issues in Auckland. He entered into partnership in 1963 with Rodney Davies, Ivan Mercep, John Austin and Graham Smith to form what would become JASMaD (later Jasmax, one of the largest architectural practices in New Zealand).

Historian

Jelicich researched the history of Croatian immigrants to New Zealand and their descendants. His book, ''From distant villages: the lives and times of Croatian settlers in New Zealand, 1858–1959'', was published in 2008. He was also a contributor to the ''

Dictionary of New Zealand Biography The ''Dictionary of New Zealand Biography'' (DNZB) is an encyclopedia or biographical dictionary containing biographies of over 3,000 deceased New Zealanders. It was first published as a series of print volumes from 1990 to 2000, went online ...

''.

Death

Jelicich died in Auckland on 19 December 2015 at the age of 92.

Honours

In the 2003 New Year Honours, Jelicich was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have r ...

for services to architecture and the community. He was also a Fellow of the

New Zealand Institute of Architects Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) is a membership-based professional organisation that represents approximately 90 per cent of registered architects in Aotearoa New Zealand and supports and promotes architecture in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jelicich, Stephen 1923 births 2015 deaths People from Hvar Yugoslav emigrants to New Zealand University of Auckland alumni New Zealand architects 21st-century New Zealand historians Naturalised citizens of New Zealand New Zealand Roman Catholics Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit People educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland Fellows of the New Zealand Institute of Architects Architects from Auckland