Southland Architects Win Citations for Excellence

Southland architects were honored for excellence and continuing service to their profession at a conference of the California Council of the American Institute of Architects held last week at the Hyatt Regency in Monterey.

Kurt W. Meyer, founder of Kurt Meyer Partners was selected by the American Institute of Architects to receive its Award for Excellence in Public Service. Appointed by Mayor Tom Bradley to the board of the Los Angeles City Community Redevelopment Agency in 1973, he served as its chairman from 1976 to 1978.

CCAIA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Citation, was presented to Paul R. Neel, professor of architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, who serves as commissioner of education for the AIA.

Spiro Kostof, professor of architectural history at UC Berkeley, received the Excellence in Education Award at the CCAIA awards uncheon, for publications which have been influential at all levels of architectural learning, in particular for his most recent work: A History of Architecture, Settings and Rituals.

Awards were also presented to structural engineer John Kariotis, president of Kariotis & Associates, Pasadena, for his work in seismic safety and historic preservation, and to Raymond L. Watson, chairman of the executive committee of the Walt Disney Co. and a former president of the Irvine Co. Watson’s award was presented for the first time to recognize architects working in a corporate, industrial or institutional setting.