Awards for Architectural Excellence

Philip J. Enquist

Awarded to Philip J. Enquist, FAIA, of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

As the leader for SOM’s global design practice, Enquist spearheaded the master plan for the Great Lakes watershed which addresses the phenomenal increase in human population, the impacts of urbanization and the threats of climate change to the largest fresh water lake system in the world. Inspired by the centennial of the 1909 Burnham Plan for the city of Chicago, Enquist is the first to develop an international plan to protect the Great Lakes. The plan takes a holistic view of the single largest fresh water system in the world and guides the growth of urban, industrial and agricultural areas in an attempt to reduce man’s impact on the Great Lakes which historically only has eroded the quality of this natural resource. The ambitious plan brings Canada and the U.S. together to rethink their cities’ infrastructure systems, shift to renewable energy sources, close old coal power plants, introduce clean public transportation, and encourage water conservation measures. In honoring Enquist's authorship of this plan, SAH recognizes the critical need to set our priorities straight and re-engineer our cities, farms, industry and many transportation and conservation systems to restore our balance with this irreplaceable natural resource within the next century.

Gwendolyn Wright

Awarded to Gwendolyn Wright, Professor of Architecture and Planning at Columbia University and host of PBS’ “History Detectives”

We honor Gwen, who is greeted on the streets of New York by “Hey, History Detective Lady,” because she shows the value of historical research to the public—the hidden story behind objects—that what you see on the surface is not the entire story. In her long career which encompasses scholarly publishing, academic teaching, and PBS programming, Gwen has focused on the many factors that influence architecture: social, economic, intellectual, political and cultural. She challenges readers, students, and television viewers think about the central place of architecture in the humanities and in our physical world. Her insights give all of us—students, professionals, citizens, and amateurs of all sorts—the spark of creativity to ignite our curiosity about our built world. Gwen helped us all experience that spark when she gave the inaugural SAH lecture at the Chicago Humanities Festival on November 11, 2012. We honor Gwen for showing us that in a world of instant gratification, there is enormous value in taking time to research, dig, analyze, make connections and reach out to all who share her infectious passion for history.

Geoffrey Baer

Awarded to Geoffrey Baer, producer and program host at WTTW in Chicago

Geoffrey, as he’s affectionately known to everyone in Chicagoland, has produced dozens of insightful and informative television documentaries about every aspect of the Chicago region’s history. They include such intriguing topics as “Seven Wonders of Chicago,” “Biking the Boulevards,” and a series of programs on Chicago’s suburbs, from the birthplace of Chicago in the Southwest suburbs to the mansions and gardens of the North Shore. In recent years, Geoffrey has produced nationally-syndicated programs including interviews with Robert A.M. Stern and Michael Graves, as they were awarded the Richard Driehaus Prize for Architecture. Geoffrey’s interviews give us access to the complicated personalities and genius of those two American icons--he asks all the questions we’d love to ask. Currently Geoffrey is in post-production on a nationally-syndicated program, “Ten Buildings that Changed America” on which SAH played an advisory role. We honor Geoffrey for his creativity, journalistic integrity, and for seducing millions of television viewers to learn about their built environment and to make informed decisions when faced with questions about the growth of their cities and their region. 

John Eifler

Awarded to John Eifler, FAIA, principal of Eifler Associates

When John was a young architect at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill in the mid1980s, he oversaw a major restoration of Charnley-Persky House as the SOM Foundation converted the single family house into the headquarters for the prestigious Chicago Institute for Architecture and Urbanism. It is thanks to SOM and John Eifler that we celebrate the 120th birthday of the house, intact and principally restored as Louis Sullivan envisioned it so long ago. After perfecting the art of restoration on Charnley House, John Eifler went on to build a reputation as an architect who has managed such complex restoration projects as Alfred Caldwell’s Lincoln Park Lily Pool Pavilion, the Jacobs House in Madison—Frank Lloyd Wright’s first Usonian House in America—and both of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin complexes. John now is experimenting with incorporating sustainable materials, systems and design solutions into historic structures, like Charnley-Persky House. We honor John for his efforts to marry historic architecture with sustainable technologies to advance the field of architectural conservation. We look forward to working with him on preserving Charnley House’s 19th century design innovations while respectfully incorporating 21st century conservation solutions.