From the The American Institute Of Architects / Indiana web site :

Walter S. Blackburn was an African-American architect elected to the College of Fellows in the 1980s. He chaired the AIA's Diversity Taskforce in 1992, and shortly thereafter, was elected as its Vice President. His career also included many terms of service in the Indiana Arts Commission and on the boards of numerous local arts organizations and nonprofit institutions.

Successor to the Don E. Gibson Award, this honor is bestowed upon a non-architect public member or organization that has contributed of their time and person in service to or support of the architectural profession in Indiana, or an architect who has exemplified professional and public service as Blackburn did. A scholarship for the advanced studies in architecture or related profession is also bestowed with this award through the Indiana Architectural Foundation.

This year's winner of the Walter S. Blackburn Award is the Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives (CIAA). Not since 1990 has an organization been so honored with this award.

The CIAA's major mission is dedicated to the collection, conservation and making available for future generations, the drawings, models and other documents pertaining to Columbus' unequalled collection of post-WWII architecture, landscape architecture, urban design and civic art projects.

For the last five years, it has broadened its mission to include the active promotion of both public and professional awareness of the value that good design has played in elevating this Hoosier community to a position of the "gold standard" by which the quality of life of communities is measured.

The jury noted that, "Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives promotes design excellence and educates us about Columbus, Indiana's rich modern architectural traditions – a civic portfolio of modern architecture of international consequence."

Visit the AIA/Indiana web site >

Rhonda Bolner receives the award from Bruce Race, Associate Professor of Planning at Ball State Universtiy and Principal, RACESTUDIO. The award was presented on October 15, 2010 at Belterra Resort in Florence, Indiana.