Boston, MA The Fenway Alliance’s FACES (Fenway Alliance Celebrates Exceptional Spirit) Award will recognize David Manfredi, CEO and founding principal of Elkus Manfredi Architects and Elizabeth Lowrey, principal of Elkus Manfredi Architects for their individual professional contributions to the vibrancy of the Fenway community and to the city. This marks the first time that an architect and a designer are being recognized since the award was first established in 2013.
The gala event will take place at 6pm on Tuesday, April 8th at the MassArt Design and Media Center at 621 Huntington Avenue. Please visit https://www.fenwayculture.org/faces for sponsorship and ticket information.
“Each year we honor extraordinary professionals who contribute to the Fenway Cultural District to provide an environment that merges both the historical and contemporary elements of the Fenway, into a welcoming and creative experience for residents of the area, residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as national and international visitors of all ages,” said Kelly Brilliant, co-executive director of the Fenway Alliance.
Co-director Genevieve Day said, “True to the visionary leadership and spirit of the titans within our community, David Manfredi and Elizabeth Lowrey of Elkus Manfredi Architects continuously innovate to create and design spaces – buildings, campuses, places for us to work, live and play both outside and inside - that provide experiences that are culturally relevant, aesthetically engaging, and contribute to the economic vitality of the Fenway Cultural District.”
“It is very special in my career to have had the opportunity to engage with the Fenway neighborhood over 30 years, planning new public realm streets and pathways, designing new buildings, and repurposing historic buildings,” said David Manfredi. “It has been 30 years of collaborating with an enlightened and passionate group of neighbors and a development firm –Samuels & Associates – who have a vision for making places that truly support community. I am honored by this recognition and humbled by the list of former recipients. Thank you very much.”
“This recognition is especially meaningful to me because it comes from such an esteemed group of leaders in our city,” said Lowrey, who designed the interiors of Elkus Manfredi’s Fenway buildings. “The dedication of the 22 institutions of the Fenway Alliance to the City of Boston has been such a game-changer,” she adds. “Today the Fenway Cultural District is one of the most highly-regarded examples of successful collaboration between institutions and community. From its educational institutions, to its retail and entertainment venues, museums, and hotels like The Verb, to its residential spaces, corporate offices, and cutting-edge life science research – the Fenway is one of the most diverse communities in the country. I’m deeply honored and grateful to have played a part in helping to shape this remarkable neighborhood.”
Previous Fenway FACES Honorees include:
2023 - Michael Maso, Managing Director Emeritus at The Huntington Theatre
2022—Ted Landsmark, Director at Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University.
2020—President Joseph Aoun at Northeastern University
2019—Mayor Martin J. Walsh at the Museum of Fine Arts
2018—Director Anne Hawley at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
2017—Managing Director Mark Volpe at the Boston Symphony Orchestra
2016—Presidents Richard Ortner and Roger Brown at Berklee College of Music
2015—Mayor Thomas M. Menino at Emmanuel College
2014—Director Malcolm Rogers at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
2013—A dozen community leaders at MassArt including past-President Kay Sloan
David P. Manfredi FAIA, LEED AP
CEO and Founding Principal
Elkus Manfredi Architects
David Manfredi works with clients across the country on a diverse portfolio of planning and design projects. David’s mission is to create common ground that brings people and communities together. He reinvents underutilized urban precincts into 21st-century mixed-use environments, the edges of universities from barriers into connective seams with adjacent neighborhoods, and under-performing urban areas into diverse innovation districts that support the collaborative imperatives of today’s science and technology. Elkus Manfredi Architects has designed many buildings in the Fenway including Triangle Trilogy, 1330 Boylston Street, the Van Ness, the renovation of 401 Park Drive, 201 Brookline, and 421 Park Drive, and most recently the Lyrik at 1001 Boylston Street in the Back Bay. David is especially proud of the influence the firm has had on the public realm at the 401 Park Green and the new park at 1001 Boylston. He serves on the Boston Civic Design Commission, the Board of Boston Architectural College, the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture Advisory Council, and the ULI Boston Advisory Board.
Elizabeth Lowrey FIIDA, RDI
Principal
Elkus Manfredi Architects
Elizabeth Lowrey is a designer, industry leader and mentor. She has been responsible for Elkus Manfredi’s interior architecture studio since the firm’s founding and is a part of the firm’s leadership. Mentoring the next generation of industry professionals and active involvement with charitable organizations, including co-Chair of REFA’s Gala and the MassArt Auction, has garnered Elizabeth recognition from peers. Recognized as a “silo buster” for her industry-crossing approach to design diversity, ranging from hospitality to higher education to corporate headquarters, Elizabeth’s approach is an award-winning combination. Notable recent projects include 401 Park, MassMutual, White Elephant Resorts, Goulston & Storrs, and the University of Michigan. Boston Magazine, for the sixth consecutive year, names her among the “Most Influential Bostonians.” Interior Design includes Elizabeth on a list of “20 Inspiring Women who make up the new face of the design industry.” Elizabeth is a guest columnist for Fast Company, Commercial Observer, and Banker & Tradesman.
The Fenway Alliance is a consortium of 22 cultural and academic institutions working to enhance the Fenway neighborhood and City of Boston. Established in 1977, The Fenway Alliance defines the best of arts, culture, education, and research in Boston and beyond. Together with institutional members, corporate partners, and community organizations, the Alliance creates and supports innovative and relevant programming featuring local artists and entrepreneurs while allowing improved access to the unique offerings of the Fenway to the greater public. Please visit https://www.fenwayculture.org/
Elkus Manfredi Architects is a full-service design firm providing architecture, master planning, urban design, interior architecture, historic preservation, space planning, programming, and experiential graphic design. Our diverse portfolio of work includes planning and design for environments of work, living, learning, play, and innovation. We are especially known for our national work in mixed-use placemaking that fosters community and creative innovation, as well as strategic workplace solutions that engage users and enhance performance. Our practice is truly collaborative – we are focused on understanding our clients’ long-term strategic goals and supporting these goals in all assignments. Elkus Manfredi’s portfolio of work is diverse, including collaborative interdisciplinary science and technology hubs, community-building higher education campus plans and facilities, workplace environments that attract and retain talent, vibrant retail and entertainment destinations, welcoming and dynamic residential developments, and leading-edge hospitality experiences. Each of our projects is unique, representing an important statement of the firm’s commitment to design excellence in response to the singular needs of each client. Elkus Manfredi is a member of the US Green Building Council and is a signatory to the AIA 2030 Commitment working toward the goal of carbon-neutral buildings by the year 2030. Please visit https://www.elkus-manfredi.com/
