As the AIA Virginia’s most prestigious public award, the Architecture Medal for Virginia Service honors an individual or an organization — not an architect or an architecture firm — that has made an unusually significant contribution to Virginia’s built environment or to our understanding and awareness of the built environment.
Only one medal may be bestowed each year, but it may be given simultaneously to more than one person.
Potential honorees include (but aren’t limited to):
Artisans/Craftsmen
Authors
Civic Activists
Code Officials
Educators
Lawyers
Legislators and Politicians
Planners and Developers
Philanthropists
Preservationists, Archivists, and Researchers
Evaluative Criteria
Consideration is given to:
- The nominees’ regional and statewide contributions and impact;
- The nominee’s efforts must be Virginia-based, a model for other efforts, and have statewide value;
- The nominee’s length of service and type of activities.
Submission Materials
- Nomination form
- A complete vita or history (if an organization)
- A nominator’s statement , of no more than one page, addressing how the nominee meets the evaluative criteria
- Supporting materials and images, where appropriate
- At least three letters of support
Submissions should be no larger than 15MB and no more than 20 pages long (not including letters of support).
Past Recipients
1984 Carlisle Humelsine, Chairman of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
1985 Leslie Cheek, Jr., former Director, Virginia Museum, Richmond
1986 Sidney and Frances Lewis, Best Products Co., Inc., Richmond
Paul and Rachel Mellon, Upperville
1987 David P. Reynolds, Chairman of the Board, Reynolds Metals Company, Richmond
1989 Ronald B. Carrier Ph.D., President, James Madison University, Harrisonburg
1990 Gerald L. Baliles, Former Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia; Jeannie C. Baliles
1991 Mary Tyler Cheek McClenahan, civic activist, Richmond
1992 Noel C. Taylor, former Mayor, City of Roanoke
1993 Daniel P. Jordan, Executive Director, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, Charlottesville
1994 Robert E. Simon, Reston, Developer of Reston
1995 Jean R. Packard, Civic Activist, Fairfax
1996 Clinton Webb, Historic Preservationist and Philanthropist, Richmond
1997 Ambassador Walter L. Rice and Inger Rice
1998 Lee Stuart Cochran, Staunton
1999 Charles R. Longsworth, Colonial Williamsburg
2000 Mary Lily Wiley, Middleburg
2001 Lora M. Robins, Richmond
2004 John T. Casteen III, Charlottesville
2006 John W. Braymer, Ph.D., Hon. AIA, Richmond
2007 Tony P. Wrenn, Hon. AIA, Danville
2008 Charles F. Bryan, Jr., Ph.D., Richmond
2010 Hunter J. Smith and the late Carl W. Smith, Charlottesville
2011 Travis Cleveland McDonald, Jr., Forest
2012 The Dominion Foundation, Richmond
2013 Stanley and Dorothy Pauley
2014 Kathleen S. Kilpatrick
2015 Robert S. and James E. Ukrop
2016 Jaan Holt
2017 Calder C. Loth
2018 Reginald N. Jones, Esq.
2020 Virginia Beach City Public Schools
2021 Alex Nyerges
2022 Storefront for Community Design