0 for 25? Christopher Hawthorne challenges the 25 Year Award

2018-01-23T12:45:00-05:00

In that spirit I set a challenge for myself: Could I come up not just with one but with 25 buildings that might have deserved the award this year? It took me a few days — and I was helped by some terrific suggestions from architects, critics and historians on Twitter and elsewhere online — but in the end finding 25 wasn't that difficult.

LA Times journalist Christopher Hawthorne has penned, or passionately typed, an inquiry into the fact that this year's 25-Year-Award was awarded to—no one.

In the article, Hawthorne walks us through the importance and aim of such an award and how to him, there are more than a few projects that could have claimed the award this year. Hawthorne even goes as far to produce a personal 25 for 25 list that emphasizes the lack of clarity and potential rigor that might have gone into this year's decision. The Hawthorne list is as follows:

Temporary Powell Library, UCLA, Hodgetts & Fung, 1992 (dismantled 1997); Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, HOK Sport, 1992; restoration of Majestic (now Harvey) Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer, 1987; Hayden Tract, Culver City, Eric Owen Moss, begun 1986; Hollywood Duplex, Los Angeles, Koning Eizenberg, 1987; Temporary (now Geffen) Contemporary, Los Angeles, Richard Meier, 1983; Fire Station No. 5, Columbus, Ind., Susana T...

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0 for 25? Christopher Hawthorne challenges the 25 Year Award