On This Very Day, 150 Years Ago . . .

Richard Upjohn invited 12 other architects to meet in his New York City office, where they considered “the propriety of organizing a Society of Architects.” They agreed “that, with as little delay as possible, an Association of Architects should be formed . . . and that this meeting take the necessary steps.” So the AIA was born on February 23, 1857. Architecture historian Tony Wrenn, Hon. AIA has created a fascinating history featured over the past year in AIArchitect; which is available on the AIA 150 Web site, along with a list of the AIA150 sponsors, headed by $1 million donor and official media sponsor McGraw Hill Construction. Read about your Institute’s glorious past and the celebrations and commemorative events taking place this sesquicentennial year, including the America’s Favorite Architecture poll. Oh, and Happy Birthday—to all of us!