CELEBRATE EXCELLENCE
2022 Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards
The Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards are an annual celebration of excellence that began in 1979.
Save the date: We'll celebrate this year's honorees on Tuesday, November 15 at the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center in West Chester (Chester County). The event will start at 3pm with a reception to follow.
Thank you to everyone who submitted a project!
Examples of Construction Projects may include the rehab of a privately owned historic house or a small business storefront, infill in a historic district, outstanding pre-construction documentation work, restoration or rehabilitation of a significant building, or a creative adaptive reuse project.
The Ralph Modjeski Award for Excellent in Transportation Design, Preservation or Archaeology recognizes an exceptional effort within the transportation field that results in an improvement in transportation systems while respecting and preserving the best practices of compatible design and historic preservation principles. Nominations for this award should use the Construction form.
We'll continue the 2022 Preservation Month theme of "People Saving Places" and encourage nominators to submit outstanding projects and the stories of the people driving them. We encourage submissions that reflect the wide-ranging initiatives that all fall under the preservation umbrella, including Communication, Emergency Response, Climate Change Adaptability/Sustainability, Preservation Planning, Stewardship, Grassroots Advocacy, Education, and more. (See the nomination form for more details and examples.)
HONOR AWARDS
The F. Otto Haas Award (lifetime achievement) and the Henry A. Jordan Award (local preservation) are selected by the Board of Preservation Pennsylvania. However, your suggestions are welcome. Use the Initiative Award form guidelines to tell us about the person or organization you think deserves recognition.
2021 Awards
Thank you to everyone who joined us to kick off our 40th Anniversary year.
We honored Jeff Marshall (Bucks County) and Sydelle Zove (Montgomery County) for their outstanding work.
Our keynote speaker was Bonnie McDonald of The Relevancy Project, speaking about the future of historic preservation.
Not able to attend? View the event video below and read our news post about the 2021 Preservation Pennsylvania Honor Awards.
(Video not showing? Click here.)
Updates on award recipients & Sponsors
Click a post below to read more!
pennsylvania historic preservation awards
Pennsylvania’s Historic Preservation Awards continue a tradition started in 1979 to honor excellence in preservation. The annual awards recognize significant contributions in the field of historic preservation made by both individuals and organizations. The Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards are presented annually by Preservation Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards were held as part of the Statewide Conference on Heritage and took place on Wednesday, October 14, 2020.
If you weren't able to attend, click here to view the award ceremony.
Newsletter Archive/Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards
HONOR Awards
F. Otto Haas Award
In 1997, Preservation Pennsylvania renamed their annual Preservationist of the Year Award to honor F. Otto Haas (1915-1994), a noted preservationist and philanthropist. The award is a standing recognition of his service and contributions to historic preservation across the state.
Mr. Haas was a founding board member of Preservation Pennsylvania, served two terms as Chairman of the Board, and was a valuable advisor to the organization until his death in 1994. His dedication to Preservation Pennsylvania and historic preservation in Pennsylvania still inspires us today.
This award honors outstanding individual or group achievements in the field of historic preservation over an extended period.
2021 Jeffrey Marshall
2020 Brenda Barrett
2019 William Fontana, Pennsylvania Downtown Center
2018 Natural Lands
2017 The Progress Fund
2016 Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office
2015 Thomas B. Hagen
2014 Paul M. Heberling
2013 A. Roy Smith
2012 Janet S. Klein
2011 Susan Star Paddock and No Casino Gettysburg
2010 John Milner, FAIA
2009 Robert and Ruth Bascom, Wharton Esherick Museum
2008 Partners for Sacred Places
2007 Rick Sebak
2006 Caroline E. Boyce
2005 Pennsylvania Heritage Parks Program, PA Dept. of Conservation & Natural Resources
2004 Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee
2003 Charles Peterson FAIA
2002 John B. Rosenthal & Pennrose Properties
2001 Arthur P. Ziegler, Jr.
2000 Thomas Hylton
1999 Mary Werner DeNadai
1998 Louis J. Appell, Jr.
1997 Henry A. Jordan, M.D.
1996 Steel Industry Heritage Corporation
1995 Samuel Dornsife
1994 John Murtha
1993 Kurt Zwikl
1992 Hyman Myers
1991 Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission
1990 The Pew Charitable Trusts, William Penn Foundation, Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation
1989 First National Bank of Pennsylvania
1988 Chester County Commissioners
Henry A. Jordan Award
This award is named for Henry A. Jordan (1936-2010), a former Preservation Pennsylvania Board Chairman and life-long supporter of the historic preservation movement.
In keeping with Henry’s belief that it is at the local level where real historic preservation occurs, this award honors outstanding historic preservation efforts at the local/regional level.
2021 Sydelle Zove
2020 Historic Gettysburg Adams County Barn Preservation Project
2019 Eugene L. DiOrio
2018 Astride McLanahan
2017 James L. Brown IV
2016 City of Lancaster
2015 Jacqueline J. Melander
2014 Salvatore J. Panto, Jr.
2013 Historic Harrisburg Association
2012 Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust
2011 John Andrew Gallery
2010 Thomas Potter, AIA
Modjeski Award
The Modjeski Award is named for Ralph Modjeski (1861–1940), considered "America's greatest bridge builder." He emigrated from Poland in 1876 at the age of 15. In 1885 he graduated from the School of Bridges and Roads in France at the top of his class. He went on to become a highly successful civil engineer and one of the twentieth century's most famous designers and builders of bridges, with nearly 40 bridges spanning the great rivers of North America. In 1930, Modjeski was awarded the Fritz Gold Medal, with a citation for his genius in combining strength and beauty. He was also honored by the Pennsylvania state legislature in 1966 by a resolution citing him as one of America's "greatest inventors."
In 1893, he started his own firm that became known as Modjeski and Masters when Frank M. Masters joined the firm in 1924. He remained professionally active until 1936, training succeeding generations of American bridge designers and engineers.
When an award was proposed to honor Excellence in Transportation Design, Preservation or Archaeology, the name Ralph Modjeski seemed a perfect fit to honor the very best in the transportation field.
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