Justin Garrett Moore named AIA New York's Champion of Architecture

The Mellon Foundation’s Justin Garrett Moore has been honored with the AIA New York 2021 Champion of Architecture Award, joining names like Lewis Mumford and Jane Jacobs on a list of recipients of what had formerly been known as the Award of Merit. 

Moore was awarded at a luncheon Tuesday that also anointed ARO Principal Kim Yao and Architectural Record Editor-in-Chief Cathleen McGuigan with honors in the Medal of Honor and Architecture in Media awards respectively. 

Moore has been a key player in the life of the city since his career began as an Urban Designer for the New York Department of City Planning in 2005. He has gone on to enjoy a three-decade career that has featured lectureships at Yale as well as a stint as the Commissioner for the American Planning Association. Moore was recently appointed to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts by President Biden.

Earlier this year, Moore was announced as a recipient of the 2021 American Academy of Arts and Letters Architecture Award.

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A chapter announcement cited Moore’s “extensive planning and design experience ranging from regional and urban systems, policies, and projects to grassroots and community-focused planning, design, public realm, and arts initiatives” in addition to his work as Program Officer for the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. 

The Columbia GSAPP graduate thanked the “countless people” whose contributions have gone undervalued historically. Moore himself is only the third person of color to receive the award in its long history.