by: Jessica Sheridan Assoc. AIA LEED AP
By Joan Blumenfeld, FAIA, IIDA, LEED AP, AIANY President
Margaret Helfand, FAIA, celebrating her firm’s exhibition design at the opening of The Fashion of Architecture CONSTRUCTING the Architecture of Fashion at the Center for Architecture in January 2006.
Kristen Richards
It is with great sorrow that we note the passing of Margaret Helfand, FAIA, on June 20, 2007. The AIANY Chapter has lost a great friend, a tireless advocate, and a talented practitioner.
As President of the Chapter in 2001, Margaret was one of the driving forces behind the conception and eventual realization of the Center for Architecture. She had the vision and foresight to see the value and the possibilities in the dream of having a unique place where architects and the public could together celebrate the built environment. She was one of the few individuals who could reach beyond the day-to-day in her strategic thinking, and this ability also stood her well in her role as co-chair for New York New Visions. Her intelligence, organizational skills, and energy were instrumental in the successful development of guidelines for the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan.
Throughout the past few years, she had remained a consistent and valued presence at the Center. As chair of numerous committees, such as Exhibitions, Coordinating, and the Advisory Council, she dedicated considerable time and effort into making sure the Center was a success. Her passion for architecture and for the mission of the Chapter and the Center was clearly evident in everything she did.
Somehow, in addition to her involvement with the Chapter and the Center, she managed to run a successful design practice, a practice whose creative and sensitive work has won numerous awards at local, state, and national levels. She served as a role model for women in the profession, and during the course of her career she was a pioneer in that way.
We, collectively, suffered a great loss last week. It is hard to believe that we will not see her at the Center, and get to talk to her, have the benefit of her sage advice and guidance, and hear her laugh. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends. We all will miss her.