Elizabeth Mills Brown Awards

State Capitol Laylight & Skylight Restoration | Crosskey Architects LLC
Photo: Ian Christmann

Sterling Memorial Library Linonia & Brothers Reading Room |
Apicella + Bunton Architects
Photo: ©Frederick Charles

Restoration of the Brick House (by Philip Johnson, 1949) | The Glass House
Photo: Michael Biondo

Lee’s Academy | Duo Dickinson Architect
Photo: Bob Gundersen

Elizabeth Mills Brown Awards

The Elizabeth Mills Brown Awards recognize design excellence in the restoration, rehabilitation, adaptation, and reuse of historic structures.

The award is named after and honors the work of Betty Brown, a prominent Connecticut architectural historian, preservationist, civic leader, and author of the extraordinarily comprehensive and meticulously researched A Guide to Architecture and Urban Design (Yale University Press, 1976).

This award is presented in collaboration with Preservation Connecticut.

2024 Registration Opens: May 6
Registration Deadline: May 31
Submission Deadline: July 5

2024 Jurors

Angel Ayón, AIA, LEED AP
AYON Studio Architecture • Preservation, P.C.
New York, NY

Randall Crawford
Crawford & Stearns / Architects and Preservation Planners, PLLC
Syracuse, NY

Ruth Pierpont
Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, Retired
New York State

Excellence

Restoration of the Brick House (by Philip Johnson, 1949) | The Glass House

Photo: Michael Biondo

Jury comments: A methodical, almost scholarly intervention guided by fierce adherence to preservation best practices, made more prominent yet by the team’s acknowledgement of change as a distinctive feature to be preserved at this unique modern historic site. High profile project requiring extensive research and restoration – great to have the building open to the public again.

Excellence

State Capitol Laylight & Skylight Restoration | Crosskey Architects LLC

Photo: Ian Christmann

Jury comments: Exemplary restoration project that demonstrated mastery of preservation technology, planning, and a high level of craftsmanship.

Excellence

Sterling Memorial Library Linonia & Brothers Reading Room |
Apicella + Bunton Architects

Photo: ©Frederick Charles

Jury comments: Very well presented, beautiful restoration/preservation project with a remarkably sensitive intervention.

Merit

Lee’s Academy | Duo Dickinson Architect

Photo: Bob Gundersen

Jury comments: Well-executed rehab and ambitious project for small organization to put a local landmark to better use.

Eligibility

Projects must be in Connecticut and involve the restoration, rehabilitation, or reuse of historic buildings.

Form-Based Codes for historic areas may be considered.

Projects must have been completed within the past 5 years.

Submission Materials

The submission form will require the following items:

Project name and location
350-word project description that includes:
- Square footage, site information, and context
- A clear and concise narrative that describes specific challenges, goals, and how the project follows the Secretary of Interior’s Standards
- Sustainability features, if any
Maximum of 12, minimum of 8 high resolution photos following these guidelines:
- Maximum of 10MB per photo
- Existing conditions prior to any work
- The completed interior and exterior
- Drawings of plans, sections, evaluations, and details
- All photos must be properly oriented as jurors will not be able to rotate them
- Do not include firm identification in the file names or photos
- All photography permissions and releases are the responsibility of the submitting architect
Photographer’s name/photo release
List of project team members with names and email

Do not include any identifying firm information in any part of your submission. This includes file names because they are visible to jurors. Submissions with identifying information will automatically be disqualified.

Judging Criteria

The jury will be comprised of professionals from the architecture and preservation disciplines, chosen by AIA CT and Preservation Connecticut.

Jurors will take into consideration and acknowledge:

Projects will be judged to the Secretary of Interior’s Standards in one or more of the four preservation approaches recognized by the Standards: Preservation, Rehabilitation, Restoration, or Reconstruction
Design excellence
Clarity of the submission narrative to describe how the project accomplished its goals while complying with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards

Fees