2023 Award Recipient
Created in 1998 to honor the memory of David Evans, FAIA, a talented and generous preservation architect, the award provides financial assistance and recognition to groups or individuals seeking to preserve historic Michigan architecture.
Ralph and Jeanne Graham, co-founders of the award, guided its development until their passing. The Award was re-named in 2015 to honor their leadership and contribution. Today, the Award of $20,000 is granted annually by a jury based on the merits of the project. The application period opens early in the year of award and closes at the end of that March.
For more information, contact Carl Roehling:
Criteria for Selection
Creativity
The project demonstrates creative and sustainable solution(s) to a preservation problem.
Community
The final result will benefit the community within which it resides aesthetically and environmentally, with increased visibility and as an educational influence.
Quality
The project reflects the values of David Evans, and Ralph and Jeanne Graham:
Project Requirements
Requirements
Application Requirements
It is the intent of the jury to make the submission as efficient and succinct as possible to save time for applicants. The quality of the submission is more important than the quantity of exhibits. To that end, applicants should submit their project in conformance with the following outline.
1. Cover Letter (1 page)
The letter should include; name of the project, name of the organization, confirmation of IRS status, name of contact person, contact information, and a paragraph summarizing how the project addresses the three criteria for the award.
2. Project Team (1 page)
Brief description and history of the organization. Project leaders from the organization. List of professionals and contractors involved in the project and their roles. Name of AIAM member involved and their role.
3. Project Description (2 pages)
Answer the following questions:
4. Project Exhibits (4 pages maximum)
Provide the graphic information that is most important to the case for the award. This may include photographs, renderings, plans or details that describe the project and its creativity, quality and benefits to the community.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Process
Organizations will submit a PDF application and project description by email to Carl Roehling, FAIA, cdroehling@gmail.com, beginning in February.
PRO BONO CONSULTATION
The $20,000 MAF grant will help complete the restoration of the building facade, masonry, and exterior envelope of the Blue Bird Inn, a historic jazz club located on Detroit’s Old West Side.
The Blue Bird was the spot for jazz in Detroit. Musicians, including leaders in modern jazz such as Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, played at the club regularly in the 1950s, and local musicians, such as drummer Roy Brooks and saxophonist Wendell Harrison, apprenticed there. The legendary landmark also served as a key hub for Black life and culture in its neighborhood and the city of Detroit throughout the 20th century.
The project’s grantee, the Detroit Sound Conservancy (DSC), is restoring the building for use as a neighborhood music venue, with a publicly-accessible music archive, cultural heritage center, and intergenerational, collaborative community art and multi-use neighborhood gathering space to meet modern organizational and community needs.
