When the Baseball Hall Of Fame inducted its first class in 1936, voters had a backlog of nearly 50 years of players to choose from, meaning some, despite worthy careers, would have to wait a while to be included. That's a little like what we go through in selecting the annual class for the Wm. S. Marvin Hall of Fame for Design Excellence. In just our third year, we have a pool of Builder's Choice award-winning architects and builders dating back to 1980, and some with stats of Ruthian proportions. There's a temptation to open the gates and allow as many as can fit on a reasonable number of pages to honor their influence on residential architecture and the housing industry. But that would dilute the honor. So, we cull past winners, make long lists of those we know and respect, argue and angst over our decision, and ultimately come to a consensus that properly rewards a select few. To that end, we are proud to welcome Jack Bloodgood, Carson Looney, and Chris Stuhmer to the ranks of the enshrined as our class of 2007.
Jack Bloodgood
Perhaps more than any other architect of the late 20th century, Jack Bloodgood is responsible for bringing a design sensibility to mainstream housing. A product of architect-built housing in Westchester County, north of New York City, he set out to proliferate the concept of lifestyle-oriented merchant-built housing and neighborhood planning.
Carson Looney
For all of the innovations he's pioneered in housing design and the attention he's received for them, Carson Looney has no pretense about his job or his legacy. In fact, he disdains the marketing side of architecture in favor of simply serving his clients with thoughtful solutions. "Our first ad was an etching of a human ear with the line, 'We Listen'," he says, recalling when Looney Ricks Kiss had to troll for work early in its 24-year history. "That's still an underlying fundamental of the firm."
Chris Stuhmer
Even Chris Stuhmer admits that there is no such thing as a Las Vegas housing style, but that hasn't stopped him from pioneering one - or more. Known locally and across the country, and proudly so, as a design-oriented builder, Stuhmer applies a personal and professional passion for architecture with a practical eye for function and convenience.
Learn more about markets featured in this article: Memphis, TN, Las Vegas, NV.
