Masonry Magazine June 1988 Page. 5
Chicago's
Excellence In Masonry Awards
Awards were presented to seven architectural firms, six mason contractors and nine job foremen for nine outstanding projects constructed predominately of masonry at the 14th Annual EXCELLENCE IN MASONRY Architectural Awards Banquet, held April 9, 1988 at the Hamilton Hotel in Itasca, Illinois.
Judging for this year's program was held in Bethesda, Maryland. The judging panel consisted of Douglas N. Carter, AIA; C. W. Smith, AIA; Elliott Gitlin, AIA; and Gregory Wiedemann, AIA.
Three Gold Medal Awards were given this year and they are illustrated on this page. In addition, three Silver Medals, two Bronze Awards and one Special Mention, are shown on the following page. The Awards Program, sponsored by the Illinois Indiana Masonry Council was attended by more than 700 people.
The judges unanimously agreed when we first looked at the entries, that it was exemplary. The jury would also like to compliment the owner and developer who would allow a highly skilled architectural firm to practice their trade to this level of brillance. We hope it is the beginning of other similar projects in the Chicago area and we are sure its success will be recognized by everyone.
Menomonee Lane Townhouses
Chicago, IL
Architect: Michael Lustig & Associates
Mason Contractor: Mar-Lu Masonry, Inc.
Job Foreman: Benny Boersma
The judge's comments on this Gold Medal winner were, "The architect on this particular project, who is obviously a small practitioner, has to be complimented. He has given a great deal of thought to the execution of masonry work in this particular project, and we must compliment him on the way he presented the facades of these buildings and the execution of masonry. The jury felt it extremely rare to see such brillance of execution in all levels on the project. The strong concept, strong plan, and strong detailing with the use of masonry. There is literally no part of the project that has been left untouched by the architect. The jury would not only like to compliment the architectural firm, but everyone involved in the project, because we certainly recognize the level of commitment necessary to do a building at this level.
A great compliment should also be given to the brick masons, who obviously have never, in all probability, constructed a building like this or build a project like this. The mix that is represented here by the contemporary high density usage of the land in the townhouses, and the introduction of some of the very classical features such as the false perspective of the courtyard, the sense of historical context, and the fun that the architect had, is evident in every single detail right down to the street lights. A very well handled project.
What is interesting is that an 18th century tradition has been reinterpreted and embellished in this very well executed scheme. We
222 North La Salle Street
Chicago, IL
Architect: Skidmore Owings & Merrill
Mason Contractor: Hansen & Hempel Company
Job Foreman: Tom Hardy & Dave Eurich
The judges stated, "The architect, rather than doing the obvious and repeating the existing facade, experimented. He has executed a design which not only compliments, but is more striking than the original architecture that exists in the adjacent building. The texture and proportioning of the building is excellent. We all see a lot of infill projects, but here is one that actually produces a building as a combination with the existing. The newer structure really makes a much better statement than the original. It is a very restrained, well handled addition to the existing building and this applies to both the addition and the renovation of the existing lobby. It is a very fine project. By the architects, choosing neither to duplicate nor to just propose a new design with the existing facade, and by taking the middle ground, the architect in this case reached the high ground."
Center For Professional Education
St. Charles, IL
Architect: Skidmore Owings & Merrill
Mason Contractor: Crouch-Walker Corporation
Job Foreman: Dave Detienne
The judges comments on this Gold award were, "This is a superbly crafted building, but one of its particular strengths is by its addition
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