Araoz receives historic preservation award

April 9, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Gustavo F. Araoz, the first American president of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, or ICOMOS, was awarded the University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning’s 2009 Beinecke-Reeves Distinguished Achievement Award, the college announced today. ICOMOS is the pre-eminent global historic preservation organization for professionals and supporters of heritage conservation.

The annual award recognizes an individual who, with a connection to the state of Florida, exemplifies the spirit of historic preservation and has demonstrated dedication to the field. Araoz, a preservation architect and graduate of Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, received this year’s award in recognition of his commitment to enlarging international cooperation to preserve the world’s cultural heritage.

“Aroaz has been one of the most active American preservationists on the world heritage scene and his election to the ICOMOS presidency presents this country with unprecedented opportunities to increase our participation in international cooperative efforts in the field of heritage conservation,” said Roy Eugene Graham, FAIA, director of the college’s Historic Preservation Program.

Throughout his architectural career, Araoz has combined institutional management, professional practice and academia to conserve the historic built environment in the United States and abroad. As president of ICOMOS, Araoz chairs the council’s World Heritage Panel, which evaluates nominations to the World Heritage List. Prior to being named president in 2008, he served two terms as the council’s vice president. Since 1995, he also has served as executive director of the U.S. Committee for ICOMOS. His accomplishments with ICOMOS include advocating greater engagement among members of the council’s 120 national committees worldwide and representing the council in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s efforts to safeguard the cultural heritage of Iraq and the Old City of Jerusalem.

In the private sector, Araoz has served as a consultant and adviser to the World Monuments Fund, Organization of American States, U.S. National Park Service, and Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. He has been responsible for conservation projects for World Heritage Sites including Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the Sanctuary of Petra in Jordan and the Citadelle-Sans Souci Complex in Haiti. In the educational sector, Araoz has been a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania and a visiting lecturer at the University of Florida, Princeton University, University of São Paulo in Brazil, and Universidad Católica de Salta in Argentina.

Araoz is an active member of the American Institute of Architects’ Historic Resources Committee and sits on the Board of Preservation Action, the U.S. national heritage lobby. Born in Cuba, he has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the Catholic University of America and a master’s degree in Latin American studies from Georgetown University. He has completed the international post-graduate program in architectural conservation in the Instituto Nacional de Antroplogía e Historia in Mexico City, where he was an OAS Fellow.

The award is named in honor of the late Walter Beinecke Jr. and UF professor emeritus F. Blair Reeves, both of whom were recipients of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Crowninshield Award for their accomplishments in historic preservation.