John Carl Warnecke, JFK grave site architect, dies at 91

SAN FRANCISCO - John Carl Warnecke, the architect who worked closely with the Kennedys on numerous projects, including President John F. Kennedy's grave site at Arlington National Cemetery, has died. He was 91.

The California native died on April 17 from pancreatic cancer at his ranch near Healdsburg, Calif., his son, Fred, said.

The president tapped him to restore Lafayette Square across from the White House in 1962. He also looked at sites for Kennedy's presidential library and worked on the Kennedys' homes in Hyannis Port, Mass., said Harold Adams, 71, who worked for Warnecke from 1962 to 1977.

Warnecke was a proponent of contextual architecture, known for bringing a sensitivity to environment and history in his designs. Even the president's grave site with its eternal flame reflected Warnecke's style. "He was very firm that it had to be a very simple design that fit the landscape," Adams said. - AP