Four local architectural firms were recognized at the seventh annual Cambridge First Day celebration at MIT on June 8.
The occasion gives MIT an opportunity to express its appreciation to the Cambridge community for the partnerships that exist among MIT and local businesses, public officials and residents of Cambridge. The Cambridge First awards, which focus on a different theme each year, recognize local companies and individuals who have made significant contributions to their respective fields and to the community. They were established in 1993 by President Charles M. Vest; the event has been jointly planned and hosted by MIT and the City of Cambridge since 1997.
This year, awards were made to individuals and firms committed to improving the quality and appearance of the city while advancing the field of architecture. Cambridge City Manager Robert W. Healy presented Cambridge First Day awards to Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, Inc.; Carol R. Johnson Associates, Inc.; HMFH Architects, Inc.; and Symmes Maini & McKee Associates. A special posthumous award toAnthony C. Platt of Platt Anderson Freeman Associated Architects for his outstanding contributions to urban design and historic preservation within the field of architecture was presented by Charles M. Sullivan, executive director of the Cambridge Historical Commission.
Speakers were Cambridge City Councillor Kathleen L. Born, Associate Professor of Architecture Roy J. Strickland and keynote speaker George R. Metzger, principal of HMFH Architects, Inc.
Awards in past years have recognized Cambridge businesses with whom the Institute has been working for 50 years or more, minority-owned and women-owned businesses, small businesses, biotechnology companies, entrepreneurship and culinary arts.
A version of this article appeared in the July 14, 1999 issue of MIT Tech Talk (Volume 44, Number 1).
