SAH Awards Gala Presents Awards for Architectural Excellence in Chicago

The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) will present four Awards for Architectural Excellence during its annual SAH Awards Gala on Saturday, November 9, at The Casino. The awards will honor local individuals and organizations in the categories of design, planning and sustainability; media; criticism and stewardship. The theme of this year's gala is a Century of Progress: 1913-2013, recognizing the changes in the urban landscape over the past 100 years. The gala benefits SAH and supports its mission to promote the study, interpretation and conservation of the built environment worldwide.

The honorees:

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Award for Excellence in Design, Planning and Sustainability

Judith Paine McBrien
Director, The Archimedia Workshop
Award for Excellence in Architectural Media

Blair Kamin
Architecture Critic, Chicago Tribune
Award for Excellence in Architectural Criticism

Zoë Ryan, Alison Fisher and Karen Kice
Department of Architecture and Design, Art Institute of Chicago
Award for Excellence in Architectural Stewardship

The gala will include a silent auction and a live auction of architectural objects and experiences. Net proceeds of both auctions will go toward maintenance of SAH's headquarters, the National Historic Landmark Charnley-Persky House, designed by Louis Sullivan with assistance from his draftsman, Frank Lloyd Wright.

Live auction highlights:
•Neutra Boomerang Chair (value: $1950)
•Two round trip, first/business class airline tickets to anywhere in North America (value: $2500)
•The Complete Architecture of Adler & Sullivan, out of print book published in 2011 (value: $900)

Silent auction highlights:
•Frank Lloyd Wright in Mason City, Iowa Package (includes an overnight stay at the Historic Park Inn Hotel, four tour tickets to the Stockman House, gift certificate for the Charles H. MacNider Museum gift shop and gift certificate for lunch at State Street Deli)
•Signed copy of Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors: Things We Made by Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer and gift certificates to three restaurants in New York City
•Collection of exhibition catalogues from the Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Architecture and Design

The SAH Awards Gala benefits the Society and its initiatives, including SAH Archipedia, an interactive, media-rich online encyclopedia of American architecture, available at sah-archipedia.org. In the spring of 2013, SAH received a prestigious $450,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to further develop SAH Archipedia. In order to secure the entire grant amount, SAH must raise $150,000 of new matching money. The tax-deductible portion of sponsorship contributions will go toward the $150,000 goal and will be matched dollar for dollar. Gala sponsors will be helping SAH bring the history of American architecture to teachers, students, preservationists, architects and the curious public around the world. Please contact Anne Bird at abird@sah.org or call 312-573-1365 for more information on sponsorships.

Gala tickets are $150 per person (tax-deductible portion $50) and may be purchased online at sah.org/gala.

SAH will be providing a self-guided tour of the Casino that will offer AIA/CES 1 LU.

Event Co-Chairs
Jonathan Fine, AIA, Founder, Preservation Chicago
James Nagle, FAIA, Nagle Hartray Architecture
Jack Hartray, FAIA, Nagle Hartray Architecture

Event MC
Edward Lifson, award-winning American journalist and architecture critic well known in Chicago for his popular NPR program, "Hello Beautiful."

Awards Gala Details
November 9, 2013 | 6-9 pm
The Casino
195 East Delaware Place
Chicago, IL 60611

Tickets
$150 per person
Purchase online at sah.org/gala

The Society of Architectural Historians promotes the study, interpretation and conservation of architecture, design, landscapes and urbanism worldwide. SAH serves a network of local, national and international institutions and individuals who, by vocation or avocation, focus on the built environment and its role in shaping contemporary life. SAH is headquartered in Chicago's historic Charnley-Persky House, one of the few extant Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright residences. The Society publishes its quarterly print Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (JSAH) and the Buildings of the United States book series, organizes study tours and hosts the SAH Annual Conference. SAH's digital resources include SAH Archipedia, a media-rich online encyclopedia of American architecture, and SAHARA, a shared online image archive for teaching and research. To learn more about SAH or to become a member, visit sah.org.