2019 NOMA Inaugural Phil Freelon Professional Design Award Winners

The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) recognized architecture and leadership excellence at the NOMA Awards Banquet hosted in Brooklyn, New York, on October 19, 2019. The awards banquet was the concluding event of the 47th Annual NOMA Conference, held at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, October 16-20, 2019. 

This year, NOMA renamed the decades-old prestigious design awards in honor of Phil Freelon, recognizing him as one of the most influential African American architects of our time. Freelon passed away July 9, 2019. 

Awards were presented to the following NOMA member firms: 

  • Vision Category – Honor Award: Vines Architecture, Cleveland Public Library–Martin Luther King Jr. Branch, Columbus, Ohio 
  • Built Category – Honor Award: Moody Nolan, The Legacy House Project, Columbus, Ohio
  • Historic Preservation, Restoration & Renovation Category – Honor Award: Holly Street Studio, Phoenix College Physical Science Building, Phoenix, Arizona
  • Unbuilt Category – Honor Award: Perkins & Will, Destination Crenshaw, Los Angeles, California
  • Small Projects Category – Honor Award: Ian Smith Design Group, Tufas Boulder Lounge, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
board showing sketches and interior of project
Vision Category – Honor Award: Vines Architecture

Cleveland Public Library–Martin Luther King Jr. Branch, Columbus, Ohio

Built Honor Legacy House Exterior Sam Brown
Built Category – Honor Award: Moody Nolan

The Legacy House Project, Columbus, Ohio

Image of project interior
Historic Preservation, Restoration & Renovation Category – Honor Award: Holly Street Studio

Phoenix College Physical Science Building, Phoenix, Arizona

Rendering of project details
Unbuilt Category – Honor Award: Perkins and Will

Destination Crenshaw, Los Angeles, California

Interior view of project
Small Projects Category – Honor Award: Ian Smith Design Group

Tufas Boulder Lounge, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Citation awards were also given in the following categories: 

  • Unbuilt Category: Vines Architecture, Durham Main Library Addition & Renovation, Durham, North Carolina
  • Historic Preservation, Restoration & Renovation Category: Vines Architecture, UNC Greensboro Rosenthal Gymnasium & Walker Avenue Building Renovation, Greensboro, North Carolina
  • Built Category: Moto Designshop, Walnut Estates, Society Hill, Pennsylvania
  • Built Category: Vines Architecture, North Carolina A&T State University – New Student Center, Greensboro, North Carolina

The 2019 NOMA Phil Freelon Professional Design Awards (PFPDA)  jurors included: 

  • Joshua Broadway, NOMA, Ennead Architects
  • Nicole Hollant-Denis, AIA, NOMA, Aaris Design Studios, PLLC
  • Katie Pohlman, NOMA, GouldEvans

All NOMA professional members are eligible to submit projects. The 2020 PFPDA call for entries will be distributed in the spring of 2020.

AIA President Bill Bates Supports the 2019 NOMA Phil Freelon Professional Design Awards