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Honoring Architectural Excellence in Community Design
On the 25th anniversary of the Richard H. ‪@driehausfdn‬ Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design, we celebrate the awards as well as the life, work and legacy of Richard Driehaus, the man who inspired them.
A dynamic individual, he was known for his extraordinary ability to create wealth; the truth is that he spent much of his adult life sharing his wealth with others. Ironically, a man known world-wide for his devotion to classical architecture, restoration of classical automobiles, historic preservation of buildings and neighborhoods, Richard achieved his goals through transformation.
Nowhere is that more evident than in his belief in the power of design to enrich people’s lives and promote community vitality, his decades-long involvement with LISC and his creation and support for his foundation’s coveted awards for excellence in community design. What Richard did for us-Chicago’s community leaders, architects, developers and public servants alike-was to transform our way of thinking, seeing and doing.
While we pride ourselves on our love of neighborhood, Richard prompted us to think more deeply about the built environment, in a more curious, creative and profound way. He helped us understand that beauty of place-buildings, thoroughfares, parks and spaces of all kinds-shapes the perception of a community for residents and visitors alike, engenders pride, anchors identity, influences human interaction and enhances quality of life.
In speaking of Richard and the Driehaus Foundation awards, architecture critic Blair Kamin noted that Richard understood that “the most important thing is simply to confer dignity...It is the qualities of space and materials, the use of light, and good connections to city streets. These are the things that dignify people and are the small ways every day that tell them that they have value and that they bring value to the world.“
This year we celebrate Richard Driehaus, the extraordinary man, and 25 years of visionary awards that make visible the essence of neighborhood architecture- architecture at human scale that enriches daily life and tells the story of people and places over time-the architecture not of kings and princes but of democracy, of people in communities seeking to create their best places and lives.