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NEW YORK CHAPTER /THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS SEPTEMBER, 1971 VOLUME 45, NUMBER 1 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE During our 1971-72 year I shall be wcrking and hoping for progress by the Chapter in thPse or other similar areas of concern to our profession: • The establishment of a New York Metropolitan Chapter which yvill bring together all New York City architects and give us more power politically. • Refurbish and expand our headquarters to provide better space for us and possibly for related organ­ izations in an effort to create an architectural center. • Keep the pressure on all city agencies which relate to architecture for better performance on their part, for a better understanding of our aims and objectives, for equitable contracts, and for paying us properly and promptly for our work-all to help make our city a better place to live and work. Max 0. Urbahn, FAIA • Continue our efforts to deal with the problem of political contributions. NEW YORKER HEADS NATIONAL AIA • Try to contribute toward a more meaningful AIA Convention in Houston next May. Since 1930, five New Yorkers have been President of • Make more effective our work for and with the AIA and now, once again, we have the honor of minority groups through our programs in Archi­ sending one of our own to lead the national C?rgan­ tectural Scholarships, the Architect's Technical ization. Max 0. Urbahn, a former NYCAIA President, Assistance Center, and in other and new ways. will officially take office later this year, but has • Explore ways for architects to make a greater already made his presence felt "on the Hill" as a vocal contribution to the formulation of national, state and representative of American architects. local policies. Along with housing and the reversal of city decay, • Promote the production of more and better Mr. Urbahn places a high priority on national l~nd use housing and the public understanding of the relation­ policy and the environment. The man with the ship of what planning and design can do for the urban boutonniere in his lapel has a gardner's love for the environment. Assist the City Planning Commission by land and as a member of the Sierra Club, is also constructive criticism of its zoning and planning com;,, itted to preserving it. proposals. • Assist the Buildings Department to improve the He contends that architects, as the shapers of the Building Code and its administration. land have considerably more "muscle" than their • Help our members to keep abreast of new develop­ numbers would indicate. However, by uniting with ments in building technology and office practice and the other design professions, he hopes to also increase to contend with current economic conditions. our powers as a voting block. Towards this end, a • Create a climate in which architects can practice national policy statement will be prepared, which will more effectively and profitably. be brought to the attention of the Presidential candidates next year. How can we make progress toward these and other desirable objectives? By the work of the more than When queried by OCU LUS about the Al A's contro­ forty committees now preparing for action. versial convention stand on the reordering of govern­ ment policies and Viet Nam, Mr. Urbahn replied that What can Chapter members do to help? Join a although the three past conventions saw the passage committee and really work at it. of strong resolutions, they "did not have the teeth (Continued on Page 5, col. 1) that I would like to see". LY NEW YORK CHAPTER, THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS August 11, 1971 20 West 40th Street, New York, New York 10018 212 565-1866 • Discussed determination of committee budgets: George S. Lewis .. ... .. .. .. ....... ... Executive Director commission chairmen will meet with committee chairmen to formulate budgets; these will be reviewed EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE at a meeting of all chairmen and the Executive Frederick G. Frost Jr., FAIA, President Lawrence Litchfield Committee in the third week of September, and final James S. Polshek, 1st Vice-Pres. Howard H . Juster budgets will be acted upon by the Executive Com­ Robert F. Gatje, Vice President James A. Rossant James Max Bond, Vice President T . Merrill Prentice, Jr. mittee on October 8. Der Scutt, Secretary Richard Stein • Noted the impending resignation of Alexander James B. Baker, Treasurer Judith Edelman Cooper from HOA. • Raised questions concerning the proposed com­ OCULUS COMMITTEE J. Arvid Klein, Editor and Chairman bination school and office building at 34th Street and Kurt Karmin John Doran Park Avenue. Linda Yang Joel D. Kaufman • Discussed the Technical Assistance Center's need David P. Helpern for funds. A grant from the J.M. Kaplan Fund was noted with appreciation. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ACTIONS • Mr. Gatje reported on issues of the utmost concern June 9, 1971 which were raised by the latest draft of the city-wide contract. • Appointed Robert F. Gatje Chairman of the Ethics • Engaged Arnold Saks, graphics designer, to develop Committee. a graphics program for the Chapter. • Approved the final draft of Methods of Compensa­ tion which had been prepared by the Fees & Contracts Committee, and which will be included DETROIT AIA CONVENTION with "A Statement of Professional Services," along Delegates who attended the Convention in late June with the previously issued Schedule of Compensation. have commented like this: Socially-quite agreeable. • Appointed a subcommittee consisting of Mrs. The "Hard Choice" seminars and the Building Team Edelman and Messrs. Polshek and Prentice, with Conference-stimulating, on the whole. Messrs. Frost and Lewis, ex-officio, to develop a program for the improvement of facilities at Chapter But the business sessions-dreary. AIA business was Headquarters. scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, June 21 and 22, July 14, 1971 with anything that might be left over to be taken up • Accepted the resignation of Armand Bartos as a on Thursday afternoon. As it was, changes in Bylaws, Director and appointed Lawrence Litchfield to take taken up through a parliamentary process permitting his place. lengthy discussion of amended wording and long roll • Appointed Mr. Litchfield as Acting Representative call votes, consumed most of Tuesday, so that to the State Association of Architects. resolutions of great interest to this Chapter came • Mr. Frost reported on efforts in opposition to before a Thursday session attended by the relatively extension of the unincorporated business tax to few who had not left Detroit. include professionals (the City Council has since approved the extension). The proposal to enlarge the Board of Directors • Mr. Polshek reported on actions of the Sub­ (which would have given the New York Region 5 committee on Headquarters, which was developing a members) was defeated despite months of careful program of tenant space allocation on the basis of our preparation under the direction of Vice President possibly renting additional space in the building. See George White of Cleveland and thorough discussion at article on page 3. Grassroots meetings last winter. • Mr. Gatje reported receipt of a new draft of the all city agencies contract, and that many objectionable The Chapter's effort to amend a resolution on sections which had been discussed with officials were national priorities to include a paragraph reading still included. "Urge the President to promptly initiate a unilateral • Mrs. Edelman reported on a call from Council­ and total cease-fire in Indochina ..... " was defeated. A woman Greitzer inviting her to attend a meeting on resolution on political contributions submitted by the women in architecture. Chapter with the understanding that it would be • Mr. Rossant reported on a meeting which he and referred to the Board was read from the rostrum with Mr. Lewis had with representatives of the architects some reluctance. The pervading question, not listed of the proposed combination school and telephone on the program, was how far the AIA should get into tower in lower Manhattan. politics. This surfaced continually during speeches; July 28, 1971 there were admonitions that architects "should not • The principal purpose of this meeting was to be sociologists" or "military strategists," but also discuss the shortcomings of the June AIA Convention there were calls "to do everything within our area of in Detroit. See article on this page. competence." • Accepted the resignation of John Grifalconi as a Director (he is moving away from New York) and James Polshek promptly wrote Robert Hastings, appointed Richard Stein to take his place until the Institute President, recommending that more conven­ next Chapter election. (Continued on Page 4, col. 1) 2 Technology Building 11 Graduate Centvr Mall BARD AWARDS The 1971 Bard Awards Jury was generally disturbed & BARD JURY CRITICISM with the quality of both residential and civic The 1971 Bard Awards for Excellence in Architecture architecture in the City. While the Jury summed up and Urban Design was made in an atmosphere of quite accurately with the statement, partially quoted concern for the future. "The political and economic here: "No doubt about it, there's something wrong situation is now such as to make it impossible to going on somewhere." One would have wished for build in New York City at the present time." So some precise statements as to what exactly is wrong. commented the 1971 Bard Awards Jury in submitting its report and selection of this year's winners to The Looking back over the history of non-Bard Awards City Club of New York. for publicly sponsored construction, the Bard Juries are going to have to make some hard decisions, i.e., 1971 Bard Awards were presented last June at a are they going to judge between buildings or between reception and ceremony at the St. Regis-Sheraton buildings and some platonic standard? JAK Hotel.

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