Preservation Design Awards

This highly competitive awards program honors exceptional historic preservation projects for excellence in design, construction, planning and technology. The Awards are presented each fall during a special reception and ceremony.

Apply for an Award

Nomination for the 26th Annual Preservation Design Awards are now being accepted to recognize California’s best preservation achievements.

*Deadline extended: Preservation Design Award Nominations due June 12, 2009.

The deadline for early submissions has been extended to Friday, May 8, 2009.

The final deadline for submitting nominations has been extended to Friday, June 12, 2009.

Download the 2009 Preservation Design Awards Application Form

Sample Award Application

Sample Entry Form
Sample Project Description
Sample PowerPoint

Back to TOP of Page

Award Categories

Awards are given in nine categories. To be eligible, projects must be located in California, or for a report or study, must deal with a California subject. Additionally, all entries should conform to the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Entries encompassing architectural, landscape, and engineering projects are also welcome.

1. Preservation: This category includes the process of sustaining the form and extent of a structure, as it now exists. Preservation aims at halting further deterioration and providing structural stability, but does not involve significant rebuilding, restoration, or rehabilitation.

2. Rehabilitation: This category recognizes projects that make possible the continued historic use, or a compatible new use, through repair, alterations and additions, while preserving those portions or features which convey a site or structure’s historical, cultural or architectural values. Projects will be divided into the categories “Small” and “Large” by the jury at their sole discretion.

3. Restoration: This category addresses projects that accurately depict the form, features, and character of a property or structure as it appeared in a particular period of time by means of the removal of features from other periods in its history and reconstruction of missing features from the restoration period. Emphasis is on historical accuracy.

4. Reconstruction: This category includes the act or process of depicting, by means of new construction, a non-surviving site, landscape, building, structure, or object to replicate its appearance at a specific period of time and in its historic location. Emphasis is on historical accuracy.

5. Contextual In-Fill: This category includes compatible freestanding new construction adjacent, or in relation to, historic structures. Such work should reflect the compatibility of new work with historic properties in regard to matters of massing, size, scale, architectural features and the protection of the historic character of the property and its contextual surroundings.

6. Sustainability: This category recognizes projects that successfully and compatibly apply innovative technologies, sustainable design and / or practices to historic structures or sites, which promote environmental design, material and energy conservation, and an improved quality of life.

7. Cultural Resource Studies, Reports: This category includes creative, innovative, and precedent-setting approaches to technological issues, preservation planning issues, and educational awareness or advancement. Products submitted for this award may include, but are not limited to: architectural and/or historical inventories or surveys, historic structure reports, register nominations, computer software developed for preservation activities, planning studies, research papers, technological reports, film/video documentaries, and historic preservation elements of general plans.

8. Craftsmanship/Preservation Technology: Outstanding workmanship carried out in a project such as those specified above may be submitted in one of those categories and/or the Craftsmanship/Preservation Technology award. This category honors excellence in craftsmanship or technological innovation pertaining to a single element of an overall preservation project, such as stained glass restoration, duplication of historic wall finish or mural, wrought iron, stonework, etc.

9. Archaeology and Interpretive Exhibits: Archaeology: This category recognizes the scientific study and preservation of the vestigial remains of the built environment of previous cultures and societies; eligible work may include the documentation, stabilization or interpretation of the material remnants of structures associated with past human life and activities. Interpretive Exhibits: This category also recognizes projects that provide or integrate exhibits that offer information about an historic feature or site; eligible work may include interpretation of features or sites that bring to life the people, construction techniques, materials, or events associated with the place. Exhibits may be temporary or permanent.

Back to TOP of Page

CPF thanks the Sponsors of the 2008 Awards:
Spectra Company
Page & Turnbull, Inc.
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc.
Auerbach Pollock & Friedlander
BOLDStone
Bank of America
Charles M. Salter Associates
Flagship PDG
Forell/Elsesser Engineers, Inc.
Heritage Architecture & Planning
KC Restoration
Master Systems Telecommunications
PGAdesign, Inc.
Plant Construction Company

Back to TOP of Page

Sponsor the 2009 Preservation Design Awards

The 2009 Sponsorship Packet will be available soon, until then, feel free to review last year's Sponsorship Packet.

The California Preservation Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and relies on financial donations to continue providing important educational and advocacy programs.  In addition, there are many benefits for sponsors such as recognition and advertising opportunities, complimentary award ceremony tickets, VIP seating, and more! 

Cornerstone Annual Sponsor – $10,000
Capital Annual Sponsor – $5,000
Pillar Sponsor - $2,500
Supporting Sponsor - $1,000
Non-Profit Organizations - $500

2008 Preservation Design Award Winners

Downloadable list and images of all winning projects - Page 1 and Page 2.

REHABILITATION-LARGE CATEGORY

• Antlers Hotel Rehabilitation, Lemoore - McCandless & Associates Architects, Inc.
• Cavallo Point - The Lodge at Golden Gate, Sausalito - Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects and Architectural Resources Group
• The Olympic Club - City Clubhouse, San Francisco - BraytonHughes Design Studios and Hornberger + Worstell

REHABILITATION-SMALL CATEGORY

• San Timoteo Canyon Schoolhouse Restoration, Calimesa - Heritage Architecture and Planning

RESTORATION CATEGORY

• Balboa Theatre Restoration, San Diego - Heritage Architecture and Planning
• Ennis House Stabilization & Restoration Project, Los Angeles - Historic Resources Group
• The MacGowan Residence, Los Angeles - Drisko Studio Architects, Inc.
• The Huntington Art Gallery Rehabilitation, San Marino - The Huntington Art Collections and Botanical Gardens
• Villa Riviera, Long Beach - Spectra Company

RECONSTRUCTION CATEGORY

• Stanford Arizona Garden, Palo Alto - Stanford University

CONTEXTUAL IN-FILL CATEGORY

• Grand Theatre Center for the Arts, Tracy - ELS Architecture and Urban Design

SUSTAINABILITY CATEGORY

• Cavallo Point - The Lodge at Golden Gate, Sausalito - Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects and Architectural Resources Group
• Pasadena City Hall Seismic Upgrade & Rehabilitation - Architectural Resources Group
• Washington Township Veterans' Memorial Building, Fremont - Siegel & Strain Architects

CULTURAL RESOURCE STUDIES AND REPOTS CATEGORY

• Architecture, Ethnicity and Historic Landscapes of California's San Joaquin Valley - Planning and Development Department, City of Fresno
• City of Pasadena Context Report: Cultural Resources of the Recent Past - Historic Resources Group & Pasadena Heritage
• Historic Resources Study for Muir Woods National Monument, Marin County - Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation and Golden Gate National Recreation Area
• Sacramento Historic City Cemetery Master Plan - Royston Hanamoto Alley & Abey
• Space Shuttle Assessment, Mountain View - Page & Turnbull, Inc.

CRAFTSMANSHIP/PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGY CATEGORY

1. Ennis House Stabilization & Restoration Project, Los Angeles - Historic Resources Group

INTERPRETIVE EXHIBITS CATEGORY

• SurveyLA Video, Los Angeles - City of Los Angeles, Office of Historic Resources

Questions? Please contact Judy Chen at (415) 495-0349 x200 or email jchen@californiapreservation.org.

Back to TOP of Page