PRESIDENT’S LETTER
The AIANYS Excelsior Awards program, celebrating its sixth year, showcases the best in publicly funded buildings, outdoor areas and public art across New York State and the professionals who support and advocate for them. After the interdisciplinary jury evaluated the projects based on a set of three criteria: Firmness, Commodity and Delight, I am proud to announce that eight projects were recognized for an award in categories including Historic Preservation, Renovation/Additions, New Construction and Public Art. This year’s award recipients include: • The transformation of a turn-of-the-century structure in Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood that allows a non-profit to provide essential healthcare and social services. • Conversion of a historic boathouse into an environmental learning center at Green Lakes State Park. • A historic site that is the new home, conference center and living museum for The Center for the Women of New York. • Two supportive housing complexes—one that includes support services for Rochester’s Northeast Quadrant-Upper Falls community and another that sets aside apartments for homeless domestic violence survivors in Bronx, NY. • High quality, affordable cabins and cottages at Wildwood State Park on Long Island. • A new academic complex at CUNY New York City College of Technology (“City Tech”). • The rebuilding of the Cortlandt Street subway station, now known as WTC Cortlandt, as a functional transit station in a sacred space as part of Lower Manhattan’s recovery after the September 11th terror attacks. In addition to the Excelsior Award recipients, we are also celebrating our 2020 AIA New York State Professional Award Recipients. The Professional Awards honor excellence in practice and advocacy of design in NYS public architecture. The Daniel Patrick Moynihan Award, recognizing public officials or individuals who, through their efforts, have furthered the public’s awareness and/or appreciation of design excellence in public architecture was awarded to Brendan R. Mehaffy, Executive Director, Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning. The Henry Hobson Richardson Award, recognizing AIA members licensed in NYS and practicing in the private sector who have made a significant contribution to the quality of NYS public architecture and who have established a portfolio of accomplishments to that end, was awarded to Barbara A. Campagna, FAIA, BAC/Architecture + Planning, PLLC. And the Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller Award, recognizing licensed architects employed in the public sector in New York State whose work on projects within their jurisdiction has furthered the cause of design excellence in public architecture was awarded to Ben Harrison, AIA, Architect, Putnam County Highway & Facilities Planning and Design Division. I know you will enjoy reading about the award recipients highlighted in this issue and I want to thank the members of AIA New York State who support these important programs that recognize public architecture and the individuals who make significant contributions to them. Best Wishes,
Joseph J. Aliotta, FAIA 2020 President | AIA New York State
JULY 2020 | PAGE | 5
