California Preservation Awards Sponsorship
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The 2026 Design Awards Event
We're celebrating 24 award winning projects, as well as the Trustee's Awards for Excellence and four President's Awards at the Mission Inn in downtown Riverside. This special celebration is followed by a ticketed reception with food and drinks. Purchase your tickets before they sell out!
William R Thorsen House: Terrace Column Restoration and Seismic Strengthening
Owner / Client
California Sigma Phi Society
Project Lead
Christopher Yerke – Restoration Workshop, Ltd.
Lead Architect
Thomas Saxby – Thomas Saxby, Architect
Lead Engineer
Zack Cardon – Murphy Burr Curry, Inc. Structural Engineers
Specialty Sub-Contractor
Peter Ghodsian – Steelcore Builders, Inc.
William R Thorsen House: Restoration and Seismic Strengthening
William R Thorsen House: Restoration and Seismic Strengthening is a winner for the 2026 Preservation Design Award in the category of Craftsmanship/Preservation Technology. Award recipients are selected by a jury of top professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning, and history, as well as renowned architecture critics and journalists. Tickets and sponsorship options are available at californiapreservation.org/programs/awards/.
About William R Thorsen House: Restoration and Seismic Strengthening
The William R Thorsen house is in a race against time and nature. As the Greene Brother’s ultimate expression of building with visible nature made manifest in its materials, and with its exposed structural elements that are as sculptural as they are functional, this house has been in a war of attrition with the elements from the very beginning. Adding urgency, the house rests 500 feet from the Hayward fault. Water, termites and ultraviolet light have chipped away at original materials, and the pace of decay has generally outrun the pace of the fundraising necessary to mount a sustained campaign of restoration and seismic upgrades of the building. Last year it became apparent that four posts, supporting two stories above the covered terrace, had significant rot and insect damage at their bases. It was necessary to act with urgency to address the issue ahead of any future seismic events.
Community Importance
The William R. Thorsen house is highly visible adjacent to the campus of U.C. Berkeley. It is an active social center and living quarters for fraternity members who must participate in the upkeep and preservation of the building. Fraternity members regularly give tours of the house, both formal and informal, to the general public. The house serves an educational role for both its occupants and the community, not only as a window into an important period in American architectural history, but as an example of the importance and challenges of stewardship and preservation of period architectural resources.
About CPF and the Awards
Held in conjunction with CPF’s 2026 Annual Conference in Riverside, the 2026 Mission Inn Preservation Design Awards Ceremony and Reception will spotlight excellence in historic preservation in a setting that reflects the very spirit of the work being honored. This special evening brings together award recipients, conference participants, preservation leaders, and supporters from across California to celebrate outstanding preservation projects and leadership through the Preservation Design Awards and President’s Awards.
Founded in 1978, the California Preservation Foundation (CPF) is California’s statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of historic places and cultural heritage. Through education, advocacy, and community-centered programs, CPF supports the people, projects, and policies that keep California’s historic resources vital and valued. We now support a national network of more than 36,000 members and supporters. Click here to learn how you can become a member.