Holtzman Award

The Holtzman Award is presented each year to the Authorities, Boards, and Commissions (ABC) Dinner to an individual or organization that provides a quality design project to the State College Borough community. The project must substantially enhance, promote or maintain the aesthetic appearance of the Borough.

2020 Award Recipient

Greg and Meghan Hayes were awarded the 2020 Holtzman Award for renovations to their Highlands home. 915 Robin Road is a single-family dwelling designated as a Contributing Historic Structure within the Highlands National Registered Historic District. In 2018, the Hayes’ proposed construction of a new front porch to replace the current entry steps and roof covering, which were deteriorated and no longer attached to the house. In addition, the Hayes’ modified the existing dormers on the front and rear of the house from a hip to gable end style. The project architect was Fernsler Hutchinson Architecture of State College.

2019 Award Recipient

Penn State University was awarded the 2019 Holtzman Award for the School of Music Recital Hall at Allen Road. The 420-seat vineyard style concert hall is home to over 300 performances each year. The vineyard style design (mimicking the terraces on a side hill) has been used successfully for large concert halls around the world. The hall was designed to accommodate solo and chamber music concerts, but also serves the University’s mid-size instrumental ensembles and choirs.

2018 Award Recipient

Harpers was awarded the 2018 recognition for their recent renovations to their new downtown location. This has been a welcomed addition to the aesthetics of Downtown State College. The 2018 recognition was presented by Council Member Dan Murphy to Brian Cohen, owner. Since Harpers opened its doors in 1926, they have provided the State College and Penn State communities with traditional and fashionable clothes with extraordinary customer service.

2017 Award Recipient

UpStreet Architects, Inc. received the 2017 award for their 1311 South Atherton Street project where they developed aesthetically pleasing affordable housing project that enhances the South Atherton Street corridor by blending commercial use with housing.

2016 Award Recipient

Nicholas and Carolyn Kello received the 2016 Ingrid P. Holtzman Award. The owners of the property were heavily involved in the design of the house and landscaping. The Design Review Board selected this property for the quality of its design and its enhancement of a Borough neighborhood.

List of Previous Award Recipients

Year	Award Winner	Impact
2015	Richard and Sally Kalin	The gift of Downtown Eugene Brown, a sculpture of a man standing, waiting for a bus, listening to music on headphones while reading on a tablet computer, to Schlow Centre Region Library and the Centre Area Transportation Authority.
2014	Phil Hawk	Renovation of the Nittany Lion Shrine including stonework with rock from local quarries and creating a naturalist environment for the sculpture.
2013	David A. Levy & Associates	Outstanding architectural design for Urban Outfitters, the former M & T Bank site on East College Avenue. The design engages the street and addresses a prominent corner on College Avenue. The interior of the building is welcoming to passersby and the reuse of an existing structure embraces concepts of sustainability.
2012	Ralph and Marcia Heimer	Outstanding building design and community cohesion of Jeramar Plaza, located at 226 South Allen Street
2011	Community Arts Collective	Dreams Take Flight mural
2010	Arboretum at Penn State	Addressing the need for a garden open to the public
2009	Ralph and Rob Pileggi	Outstanding building design at 700 West College Avenue
2008	State Theatre and Mike Negra	Remodeling and preserving the historic theatre
2007	Schlow Centre Region Library	Outstanding design of the library
2006	Graham Curtis	Excellent signs
2005	Graham Spanier and PSU	Campus aesthetic improvements
2004	Fred Fernsler	Design sensitivity and receptiveness
2003	Michael Pilato	Downtown murals
2002	Joe Banks	Enhancing the Borough through gardens
2001	Cathy and Andy Zangrilli	Many years of dedicated service in improving the Borough's appearance
2000	Joel Malnick and Sara Twilbil	The first recipients of the "Ingrid" received the award for the outstanding reconditioning of two historic homes in the 300 block of South Burrowes Street.

Award Guidelines

In an effort for staff to understand the award, a set of guidelines were developed in 2011 for the Design Review Board to use when considering the award candidate. This list was based on information from previous award recipients.

The following guidelines were presented to the Board to assist them in determining nominees and recipients of the annual Holtzman Award:

Ability to be used for community events, weddings, educational activities etc
Aesthetically pleasing tone
Bike facility improvements (i.e. trails, racks)
Blending of two or more neighborhoods
Builder/Designer/Artist contribution to community
Charitable use (i.e. affordable housing)
Community enhancement, benefits beautifies of a specific public area or the community
Deemed a benchmark project
Discreet and appropriately scaled for the site
Functionality
Honor financial contributors to project
Incorporates a piece of public art by local artist(s)
Innovative use of plants, trees, vegetation, education or landscape architecture
Level of historic preservation