James Stewart Polshek (‘55) Awarded 2018 AIA Gold Medal

James Stewart Polshek (‘55) Awarded 2018 AIA Gold Medal

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James Stewart Polshek
The Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History
The Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History
Newseum
Newseum
Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant
Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant
William J Clinton Presidential Center and Park
William J Clinton Presidential Center and Park

December 6, 2017—Architect and educator James Polshek (Arch ’55) will receive the 2018 AIA Gold Medal, considered the most prestigious architecture award in the country and awarded to those architects who have had a lasting impact on theory and practice.

Polshek is the founder of James Stewart Polshek Architect (now Ennead) and is the former dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.

At Yale, Polshek studied under Eugene Nalle and after graduation in 1955 quickly founded his firm in 1963. The firm soon was recognized for its collaborative working environment and research-driven design, attributes which continued in its later iterations, Polshek Partnership and Ennead.

With Polshek’s leadership, his firm has won more than 200 design awards and authored multiple landmark buildings, including the Newseum, the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park, the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History, and the National Museum of American Jewish History.

Drawing by James Polshek
Axonometric drawing by James Stewart Polshek from the course taught by Eugene Nalle. Dated February 11, 1952. Donated by Leona Nalle from the archives of Eugene Nalle.