John and Mary Pappajohn are among the recipients of the Iowa Architecture Foundation’s 2020 Community Enhancement Through Architecture & Design Awards. Photo special to the Business Record

John and Mary Pappajohn and Grinnell College are the recipients of the 2020 Community Enhancement Through Architecture & Design Awards, handed out annually by the Iowa Architecture Foundation. The awards recognize individuals, organizations, agencies and communities outside the architecture profession who have championed the cause of architecture that helps improve communities.

The Pappajohns of Des Moines have “influenced much of the state with their history of giving and advocacy for architecture, art and design,” the selection committee wrote of the couple. “They’ve been active catalysts for placemaking. Alongside buildings they have invested in landscape and gardens. What they have created is beyond phenomenal.”

The Pappajohns have contributed 28 pieces of artwork to the 4.4-acre John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown Des Moines. They have also “enhanced the state” with buildings like the Pappajohn Education Center (designed by HLKB Architects) in Des Moines  and the Pappajohn Business Building (designed by Architectural Resources Cambridge and Neumann Monson Architects) at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

Grinnell College was selected for the institution’s sustained contributions, vision and leadership in architecture and planning for more than 50 years.

“Grinnell has reached out over time to create an incredible collection of buildings – which is different than something done episodically,” the selection committee wrote. “There is a commitment to excellence and quality, and it takes a great deal more dedication and perseverance to maintain that sort of course. It’s what sets a neighborhood or a campus apart.”

For example, the Iowa college in 1999 hired Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott, a Boston-based architecture firm, to create a campus master plan, which was recently updated by OPN Architects of Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. Four buildings have been constructed since the master plan was finalized including the Humanities and Social Studies Center, designed by EYP Architects, which has offices in Raleigh, N.C., Washington, D.C., and New York City.

The award winners will be honored at a free virtual celebration at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 20. To register for the event, click here.

Grinnell College has been recognized for its contributions to architecture. The institution has hired top American architects to design its buildings, including the recently completed Humanities and Social Studies Center, designed by EYP Architects. Photo special to the Business Record