Uniontown architect remembered as colorful person
Uniontown architect Michael Molnar was remembered Tuesday by the daughter who followed in his professional footsteps as “very colorful, vibrant and full of life.” Michelle A. Molnar-Schneider, an architect who lives in Florida, said her Hungarian-born father, who had to flee his home during World War II and later was a freedom fighter for his country, was “definitely a big fixture in Fayette County.”
“My dad was definitely a very colorful person. He could talk your ear off. He was constantly reading newspapers and magazines and could talk about any topic,” Molnar-Schneider said.
Michael (Mihaly) Sandor Molnar, 77, who died at home on Saturday, was responsible for the design of numerous Uniontown buildings and several local schools throughout the county. Among his local creations were the Uniontown City Hall, Uniontown Public Library and the Fayette County Health Center.
Born in Selyp, Hungary, Molnar and his family were forced to flee their home during World War II and later returned to his homeland before pursuing an architectural degree. He was a graduate of the Polytechnic University of Budapest, where he received his Master of Architecture in 1954. He was working for the Hungarian Ministry of Defense when he joined the freedom fighters against the Soviet Union by joining the Hungarian Revolution.
“He had friends machine-gunned down beside him. He was very brave and fought for his beliefs,” Molnar-Schneider said.
Molnar-Schneider said because her father had national security secrets, he was interviewed by the U.S. Government. The National Academy of Sciences sponsored Molnar and brought him to the United States, where he first settled in Pittsburgh after being offered a choice of cities for work, before eventually moving to Uniontown. He worked for another architectural firm before founding Michael S. Molnar Associates.
When he came to America, he didn’t have any money, and had just the clothes on his back, Molnar-Schneider said.
Molnar-Schneider said her father had lasting friendships with Hungarian classmates, including fellow students from first grade through college. She said Roman Verostko, a notable artist and longtime friend, will speak at the memorial service.
Molnar began painting in the abstract expressionist style, and was influenced by people such as Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Franz Kline and Mark Rothko. “He did a good many paintings. They were very cutting edge,” Molnar-Schneider said.
Among the buildings Molnar designed were the Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation transit center, the Mental Health/Mental Retardation building, as well as schools for the Brownsville, Laurel Highlands, Uniontown and Albert Gallatin school districts.
Molnar-Schneider said her father was influenced by the Bauhaus movement and was an advocate of modern architecture, with influences including Marcel Breuer, Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe and LeCorbusier. Although he was past traditional retirement age, Molnar continued to work.
And while he was immensely proud of his heritage, he had a love of America. “Although he was forced to move here, he wanted to be American,” Molnar-Schneider said of her father.
In accordance with his wishes, half of Molnar’s ashes will be dispersed here and half in Hungary, over the Danube River and in the town of Tortel.
Fayette County manager Warren Hughes, who worked closely with Molnar for 10 years on a variety of county projects, said Molnar was “an easy guy to work with.” Hughes said the last county project Molnar completed was the renovation of the public service building in Uniontown.
Hughes said because Molnar was nearby, he was very accessible.
Hughes said he was very surprised to hear of Molnar’s death, saying he had seen Molnar not longer than two weeks ago at a local restaurant, and the two had exchanged pleasantries.
“I think he’ll be missed in the area. He was well known and did a lot of work,” Hughes said.
A memorial service will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. in the Skirpan Funeral Home, 680 Cherry Tree Lane, Uniontown. Following the memorial service, the family would like to invite relatives and friends to the Uniontown Country Club for a reception.