Award-winning buildings

If you’re interested in understanding how the architectural world celebrated its own achievements during a transformative decade, this 1973 publication from Emery Roth & Sons Architects is genuinely worth exploring. It’s a fascinating document that captures a specific moment in American architectural history—one where the profession was wrestling with what “excellence” actually meant, and where the winning designs revealed a lot about the era’s values and aspirations.

What makes this slim 66-page volume so compelling is that it functions as both a portfolio and a time capsule. When it came out in 1973, the architectural landscape was shifting beneath everyone’s feet. The Woolworth Building and the newly completed Twin Towers were dominating Manhattan’s skyline, while simultaneously, architects were experimenting with entirely different approaches to design—from the Quality Motor Hotel’s pragmatic craftsmanship to the specialized functions of new academic centers and healthcare facilities. This book captures that diversity of thinking.

Emery Roth & Sons Architects assembled this collection with a clarity of purpose that still resonates today. Rather than just presenting pretty renderings, the architects chose to showcase buildings that had actually won recognition—projects that had been vetted, celebrated, and proven to work in the real world. This grounded approach gave the publication credibility at the time and continues to offer readers a genuine look at what professionals considered award-worthy architecture.

What you’ll find inside these pages tells a rich story:

• Buildings addressing specific civic needs—nursing homes, educational centers, commercial spaces—showing that prize-winning architecture wasn’t just about spectacular monuments
• Design solutions that balanced aesthetic ambition with practical functionality
• The regional variation in how architectural excellence was being recognized and rewarded across the country
• A snapshot of 1970s sensibilities in materials, proportions, and urban integration

The book’s cultural significance lies partly in what it doesn’t do. It doesn’t pretend that all great architecture looks the same or serves the same purpose. Instead, it presents a spectrum of approaches—from the Center for Asian Studies at St. John’s University to healthcare facilities in Queens, each bringing its own logic and elegance to the problem of building well. That inclusivity was important because it validated multiple paths to excellence rather than promoting a single “correct” style.

What’s particularly striking about Emery Roth & Sons Architects’ curation is how it reflects the profession grappling with questions that still matter today. How do you honor innovation while ensuring buildings serve their communities? How do you balance cost considerations with quality? How do you create spaces that are both contemporary and enduring? These weren’t abstract questions in 1973—they were being answered every day on job sites across America, and this publication documents some of the most thoughtful answers.

The writing style throughout is matter-of-fact and professional, which might sound dry on paper but actually works beautifully for this subject matter. The architects trusted their buildings to speak for themselves. They provided context when needed, explained design decisions, showed how form followed function. There’s a refreshing honesty in that approach—no overselling, no flowery language, just the facts of what was built and why it mattered.

> The real legacy of this book is how it preserved a conversation about values. In 1973, when architectural awards were being given to a nursing home in Far Rockaway and a motor hotel in Washington, D.C., the profession was saying something important: that good design serves everyone, not just the wealthy or the famous.

For readers today, over 50 years later, this publication offers something increasingly rare—a genuine record of a specific moment without the filter of hindsight. We can see which design principles lasted and which were genuinely of their time. We can appreciate how architects approached problems with the tools and thinking available to them. And we can recognize how many of their concerns remain urgently relevant.

The book’s modest length—just 66 pages—works in its favor. It respects your time while delivering substantive content. You’re not wading through a massive tome; you’re having a focused conversation about architectural excellence. Each project included has earned its place through genuine recognition from the architectural community and broader design competitions.

If you care about architecture, design history, or simply understanding how professionals think about creating better spaces, this is absolutely worth tracking down. It’s a quiet but profound document that shows us what mattered to builders and architects during a pivotal decade. And honestly, in an era of endless digital content and the constant churn of trend-chasing in design, there’s something deeply satisfying about holding a substantive, focused book from 1973 that simply shows you good buildings and explains why they work. That kind of clarity feels increasingly valuable.