AIA Builds Momentum to Keep the “Architect” in “Architect of the Capitol”
As the Congress continues its process to select a new Architect of the Capitol, the AIA continues to put forth its strong belief that only a licensed, professional architect has the necessary skills, education, and training to balance the responsibilities of the job in a way to ensure the safety, security, and productivity of the occupants of the U.S. Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, and numerous other national landmarks. George M. White, FAIA, who served as Architect of the Capitol from 1971 to 1995, wrote a letter in strong support of the AIA’s position to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chair of the Architect of the Capitol Selection Commission. Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Phil English (R-Pa.) published a letter in Roll Call, Capitol Hill’s publication for congressional news. Additionally, AIA Executive Vice President/CEO Christine McEntee wrote a letter to the Washington Post in response to an article published in the Arts section of its May 27 edition. You can find the text of these letters, plus a petition to Congress you can sign online regarding the Architect of the Capitol, on the AIA’s Web site.

AIArchitect Now Accepting Fantasy Architecture Submissions
The fantastic, the impossible, the improbable, or the just ahead of its time—AIArchitect wants to see it all for our first-ever theme issue later this summer. The July 27 edition of AIArchitect will be liberated from the confines of physics, cost, and function to present our readers with the best in fantasy design for design’s sake. But we need your help! If you’ve got a project—built or unbuilt—that fulfills your fantasy (or your client’s), please submit a one-page description and no more than five JPEG files of your design to Managing Editor Stephanie Stubbs. All submissions must be received via e-mail by June 22 and will be selected for publication by the AIArchitect staff.

Profession Loses Kuhn and Cavaglieri
The profession and New York City lost two respected preservation architects and professional leaders. Denis Kuhn, FAIA, passed away May 10, during the tour of a project site in the Dominican Republic, and Giorgio Cavaglieri, FAIA, 95, died in New York City, AIA New York Executive Director Rick Bell, FAIA, notes in e-Oculus. Not mentioned in the side-by-side New York Times obituaries, Bell says, were their mutual respect and affection, and “the fact that for over 15 years, Denis worked with Giorgio.” Bell writes: “Many called Denis ‘Giorgio’s right arm’ at the time. Noted in Giorgio’s Times obituary was his fall, the tumble at age 93 ‘when he badly injured his right arm’ and ‘then learned to paint watercolors with his left hand, fulfilling his first ambition to be a painter.’ Giorgio painted his friends and colleagues, as did Denis in a different way, using words calmly and adroitly to diffuse tension and foster common purpose.”
Denis G. Kuhn, FAIA, 65, Preservation Architect
Giorgio Cavaglieri, 95, Preservation Architect

Robert Mills Inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame
America’s first architect gets some home-state recognition
On May 24, the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame posthumously inducted architect Robert Mills into its ranks, an award accepted by 2003 AIA President Thompson E. Penney, FAIA. Mills is most noted for his design of the Washington Monument and Treasury Building in D.C. Though Mills knew and studied with the preeminent architects of his day and is considered to be the first native-born American trained in architecture, the diversity of his skilled body of work is often overlooked due to his strong commitment to more inherently visible public and civic architecture.