Oh what a night! Congratulations to Thomas Woltz and his exceptional team at Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects including Mark Streiter and Charlotte Barrows. This past Wednesday evening, December 6, they won a prestigious McKim, Mead & White Award for Excellence in Classical and New Traditional Design for the public gardens at the Jay Estate. The design was described as one “that compresses centuries into one riveting glance.” The honor, bestowed by the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art (ICAA), recognizes achievement in individual projects in architecture, interiors, landscape, urbanism, and building craftsmanship throughout New York, New Jersey, and Fairfield County, Connecticut.
The celebration kicked off with a breakfast at the General Society of Mechanics where attendees saw before and after photos illuminating the creative process. It finished with a flourish at the Metropolitan Club. Our deepest thanks to ICAA President, Peter Lyden and the jury who selected our project. Mitchell Owens, American Editor for the World of Interiors was the emcee for the evening. He articulated the most compelling facets of each winning work in mellifluous prose. The Jay Estate Gardens were commended for being “pleasing to the eye while being intellectually complex.”
Kudos to all the honorees! We’re very proud to be in such accomplished company – Hendricks Churchill, Moran Hook Architecture, Schafer Buccellato Architects, Sawyer Berson, Haver & Skolnick Architects, Douglas Wright Architects, McAlpine, Boyd Reath, Hollander Design Landscape Architecture, Moataz M. Bashir and Mitchell Studio.
Last December, both the rehabilitation and stewardship of the Jay Estate Gardens was recognized by NY State Parks with an Excellence in Historic Preservation Award. Commissioner Kulleseid remarked then, “The transformational design of the gardens not only reflects the historic context but emphasizes an intentionality to restore native species and original voices and to cultivate an appreciate and understanding of sustainable landscapes through partnerships and public outreach.”
See photos of our gardens’ design journey here!
Top photo – L-R Mark Streiter, Alexis Perrocheau, Mitchell Owens, Thomas Woltz, Charlotte Barrows and Allen Harris at the ICAA Awards. Photo credit – Jay Heritage Center
Garden “after” photos by Max Touhey.
