Taryn Williams Receives Richard Morris Hunt Prize for Excellence in Preservation
The Architects Foundation (AF) named Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Associate Principal Taryn Williams the 2025 Fellow of the Richard Morris Hunt Prize. This prestigious award is one of the preservation field’s most distinguished fellowships, honoring individuals for their technical excellence, leadership ability, and research development.
As the philanthropic partner of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), AF has traditionally given this honor to architects. However, Taryn is the first in the engineering profession to receive the prize. She will spend six months in France studying building enclosures and researching how French preservation approaches could inform American practices and contribute to international heritage conservation standards.
“Taryn Williams exemplifies the vision behind the Richard Morris Hunt Prize—bridging cultures and generations to preserve our architectural legacy,” said AF Executive Director Jennifer Calvert. “Her expertise in building envelopes addresses preservation’s most pressing challenge of maintaining historic integrity while meeting climate demands, and her fellowship will undoubtedly advance both French and American approaches to heritage conservation.”
Taryn Williams exemplifies the vision behind the Richard Morris Hunt Prize—bridging cultures and generations to preserve our architectural legacy.
Taryn Williams is committed to advancing historic preservation practices across the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. She combines expertise in building enclosure consulting and structural engineering to help project teams successfully investigate and restore cherished and significant buildings and community assets. She is a natural teacher and educator, contributing articles and presentations across the industry and serving with several professional organizations, including as past president of the Association for Preservation Technology International (APTI) and the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC).
“I’m deeply honored to be selected by the AIA and the Architects Foundation to receive the Richard Morris Hunt Prize,” said Taryn. “This fellowship is an exciting opportunity to broaden my technical knowledge of historic preservation alongside French professionals and to share what I learn as widely as I can.”
AF annually joins with the French Heritage Society and Les Amis du Richard Morris Hunt Prize to award this prize, alternating between French and American recipients who take part in a historic preservation and restoration research project to highlight the lessons we can learn from historic and modern architecture.
View All Events