2008-05-23 23:29:39 -
www.aiacc.org - AIA California Council The American Institute of Architects Lori Reed Director, Marketing and Communications 916-448-9082 lreed@aiacc.org Norma Merrick Sklarek, FAIA, was honored as the 2008 recipient of the Whitney Young Jr. Award, at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Convention which took place in Boston, MA last week. This award is given to an architect exemplifying the
profession's responsibility toward current social issues.
The award honors civil rights leader Whitney M. Young Jr., proponent of social change and head of the Urban League from 1961 until his death in 1971. At the 1968 AIA Annual Convention, Young challenged architects to actively increase participation in the profession by minorities and women. Sklarek becomes the first woman and the 37th recipient of the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award, which was established by the AIA in 1972.
2008 AIA President Marshall Purnell, FAIA, stated, "She made me possible. She is mentally the strongest person in this profession that I know. Everywhere she went she was first." First African-American woman licensed in the country, and in both states of New York and California. AIA Board member Anthony Costello, FAIA, called Sklarek the "Rosa Parks of Architecture."
Sklarek's career has been marked by breaking barriers of what an African-American woman can do. She was the first African-American woman to graduate from Columbia University in 1950 with a BArch. In 1980, Sklarek became the first African-American female Fellow of the AIA. Five years later, she was at the head of the first architecture firm to be formed and managed by an African-American woman--Siegel, Sklarek, Diamond.
Jack Travis, FAIA, states, "Norma Merrick Sklarek's whole professional life has been a series of pioneering efforts advancing not only her cause, but the cause for minority involvement in mainstream matters of the profession."
After graduating from Columbia, Sklarek worked for Skidmore Owings and Merrill, then relocated to Los Angeles to work for the Gruen Firm. During her 20-year tenure there, Sklarek completed some of her most important projects, including Fox Plaza in San Francisco, the American Embassy in Tokyo and the Queens Fashion Mall in New York. From 1980 to 1985, she was a vice president at the Welton Becket firm, where she designed the Terminal One building at Los Angeles International Airport. Sklarek headed her own firm for four years, and in 1989, she became a principal with Jon Jerde Inc., now known as the Jerde Partnership, where she worked on the Mall of American in Minneapolis, the largest shopping center in the nation.
"I am thankful to Norma Sklarek for being Norma Sklarek," wrote Gail Kennard, (daughter of Robert Kennard, FAIA, the 1991 Whitney Young Award winner). "She is an accomplished and generous professional whose quiet determination in the face of adversity has made it seem so much easier for those who have come after her."
About the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award
Established in 1972, the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award has honored architects and organizations that exemplify the profession's proactive social mandate, ranging from issues such as affordable housing, minority inclusiveness, and access for persons with disabilities. The award is named after the civil rights-era head of the Urban League who promoted progressive advocacy head-on at the 1968 national convention.
The AIACC represents the interests of 10,000 architects and allied professionals in California. Founded in 1944, AIACC's mission supports architects in their endeavor to improve the quality of life for all Californians by creating more livable communities, sustainable designs and quality work environments. Today The AIACC is the largest component of the national AIA organization. For more information, visit www.aiacc.org.
First African-American Woman to Become a Registered Architect in
America is Celebrated
