A $2.4 million endowment established by a well-known late Memphis architect and his wife will create a travel award and prize for architecture students at four universities beginning in 2016. The endowment will provide over $100,000 each year to four architecture students currently enrolled in the professional architecture degree programs at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; Auburn University; Mississippi State University; and the University of Tennessee.
The Aydelott Travel Award and the Aydelott Prize were established by Alfred Lewis Aydelott, FAIA (1916-2008), and his wife, Hope Galloway Aydelott (1920-2010), to encourage architecture students to “become proficient in the art of architectural analysis.”
One architecture student from each of these universities will be awarded $20,000 each year to be used to identify, visit and conduct in-depth observation, research and analysis of four unique buildings they feel possess qualities that rank them among the best in the world. The Aydelott Travel Award is one of the most significant programs for architecture students in the U.S.
“The Aydelott Travel Award offers a student an opportunity that can and should change the trajectory of their architectural career,” said Jim West, Mississippi State dean and professor in the School of Architecture. “It enables these students to research, visit, study and comprehend four visionary pieces of architecture in a way never available to them before. I look forward to observing a true transformation in the recipients of this award,” he added.
The Aydelott Travel Award prepares the recipient for “what he or she will continually be required to do in his or her architectural career.” The award will help the recipient further develop skills on how to analyze buildings and communicate that analysis in a manner “such that a board of directors, an architectural publication, a news reporter, or a client will have an understanding of the design and the thinking behind it.”
Upon completion of research and final reports, the best submission – chosen through a juried selection process – will be awarded the Aydelott Prize and an additional $5,000.
The travel awards and prize are supported by the Alfred Lewis Aydelott, FAIA and Hope Galloway Aydelott Award Support Fund. The fund also provides additional support to help with diffusing and archiving award recipients’ analyses, as well as providing support for administrative costs and costs for promotion of the program.
Alfred L. Aydelott earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Illinois and practiced architecture in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1938 to 1979. Among his many buildings are the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines; the PET Building in St. Louis, Missouri.; and the Memphis City Hall.
The Aydelott Travel Award and the Aydelott Prize honor Alfred L. Aydelott’s legacy as a visionary architect who had a significant impact on the city of Memphis, the careers of many architects he mentored, and the education of students he supported through many contributions that he made during his lifetime.
For more information about the Aydelott Travel Award and the Aydelott Prize, contact the representative at each university:
- University of Arkansas, Fayetteville:
Ethel Goodstein, Associate Dean and Professor, Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at egoodste@uark.edu - Auburn University:
David Hinson, Professor and Head, School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture atdavid.hinson@auburn.edu - Mississippi State University:
Michael A. Berk, AIA, Director and F.L. Crane Professor, School of Architecture
at mberk@caad.msstate.edu - University of Tennessee, Knoxville:
Jason Young, Director and Professor, School of Architecture at jason.young@utk.edu
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