Masonry Magazine March 1980 Page. 7
"M" Awards Given for Masonry Design
Buildings in Coldwater, Kalamazoo, Flint, and Southfield, Mich. are the winners of 1979 "M Awards" for excellence in masonry design sponsored by the Masonry Institute of Michigan in cooperation with the Michigan Society of Architects.
Two of the winning projects date back to the 19th century: the Branch County Library in Coldwater and the water tower of Kalamazoo State Hospital. The library was renovated and given a matching addition, while the masonry water tower was restored to its original condition.
The other two winners are new buildings: the central heating and cooling plant for the University of Michigan campus in Flint, and Young Israel, a synagogue in Southfield.
The winners were selected by an independent jury of architects from the Denver, Colo., area. Forty-three entries submitted by MSA-member firms were considered by the jury.
The architects, owners and mason contractors involved in each of the winning projects received a cast-bronze "M Award" plaque at the fifth annual Masonry Awards Banquet, held January 19, 1980. in Detroit.
The winning architects were: Graheck, Bell, Kline & Brown, Inc., Traverse City and Marquette, for the Branch County Library addition and renovation; Preservation/Urban Design/Inc., Ann Arbor, for the masonry water tower restoration at Kalamazoo State Hospital; Harley Ellington Pierce Yee Associates, Southfield, for the University of Michigan power plant in Flint; and Rossen/Neumann Associates, Southfield, for Young Israel synagogue of Southfield.
For Rossen/Neumann Associates, it was the third consecutive award. All the other architects were first-time winners in this five-year-old program.
The mason contractors honored also were first-time winners. They included Bracy & Jahr, Inc., Quincy, for the Branch County Library; Miller-Davis Co., Kalamazoo, for the water tower restoration; Sorensen-Gross Construction Co., Flint, for the University of Michigan project, and Barron Construction Co., Pontiac, for Young Israel.
Jury members, all Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, were William C. Muchow, Muchow & Associates, Denver; John B. Rogers, RNL, Inc., Denver, and Hobie Wagener, Wagener-Vandervorste Architects, Boulder, Colo.
Muchow, the jury chairman, announced the awards, which were presented by Frank Soave, president of the Masonry Institute, and Robert Fearon, secretary of the Michigan Society of Architects.
Featured speaker at the awards banquet was John T. Joyce, president of the International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftsmen, Washington, D.C.
Addition and Renovation, Branch County Library
Built in 1886, this library building, one of the oldest in the state, has become a focus of civic pride in the southern Michigan city of Coldwater. With financing of $780,000 provided by a Federal grant and matching local