c. Michael Moran/OTTO

High Honors

January 13, 2015

To add to its growing list of achievements, the Samuel J. and Ethel Lefrak Center at Lakeside has just won the highest honor in architecture by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), a 2015 National Honor Award. The LeFrak Center was selected out of a field of nearly 500 candidates.  

“It is a true testament to the strengths of the LeFrak Center’s design that it is enjoyed by both the local community and the international architectural community alike,” said Alliance President Sue Donoghue. “Lakeside has set the bar in terms of what can be achieved in Prospect Park, and we look forward to continuing to further this vision.” 

Designed by renowned architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, in collaboration with the Alliance’s acclaimed chief landscape architect Christian Zimmerman, the LeFrak Center at Lakeside was designed to be an environmentally sensitive structure that fit seamlessly into the Park’s natural splendor and provide a year-round amenity for the community.

In selecting the LeFrak Center, the AIA Honor Award Jury said: “The stonework grounds it as a landmark within the park, while the openness of the design itself allows for complete amalgamation with the view and the experience of nature… Every design decision was made so as to ease use on patrons and also to minimize the impact on the park. This is a beautiful, natural spot for visitors to a enjoy sensory experience.”

Said Billie Tsien: “We feel so lucky to have had this chance to do truly public work. It is the most democratic and thus most important work we can ever do.”