Frederic Schwartz

Frederic David Schwartz (April 1, 1951 – April 28, 2014) was an American architect, author, and city planner whose work includes Empty Sky, the New Jersey 9-11 Memorial, which was dedicated in Liberty State Park on September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

A recipient of the prestigious Rome Prize in Architecture, Schwartz -- "for his dedication to using architecture to heal New York"—is included in the New York Hall of Fame, an organization created to "honor remarkable New Yorkers who have contributed to the betterment of the city" and who serve as "role models for children." He was honored by First Lady Laura Bush at the 2003 White House National Design Awards ceremony.

Biography Schwartz was born in the Jamaica, Queens neighborhood of New York City; he would later design a community center about ten blocks away from the site in South Jamaica, where he was born. he taught architectural design at Harvard, Yale, Penn, Columbia and Princeton, a group of architects with a stated mission of "putting culture and community at the heart of urban planning.

Schwartz was the owner and founder of Frederic Schwartz Architects, in New York City. Prior to beginning his own firm, he had worked at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and then at Venturi, Rauch & Scott Brown.

Schwartz's love for New York drove his decision to locate his firm in SoHo, a neighborhood he "absolutely loves"—and where (in a 2008 interview) he said he could enjoy a view from his window that included the World Trade Center, the Woolworth Building, New York Harbor, the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. His office is located in an open studio setting, where he can "teach and nurture," as well as manage. Still drawing with a pen, he has stated that a "good day" for him is one that ends up with "a lot of ink on my hands." Schwartz's work has won him and his firm numerous national and international awards and design competitions, including the prestigious Rome Prize in Architecture.

The message board at the Whitehall Terminal, showing the message, "Have a nice day." After the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, he founded the internationally renowned THINK Team, an international group of architects selected to master plan and re-imagine Ground Zero, that was runner-up for Innovative Master Planning at the World Trade Center.

In 2010, Schwartz appeared in the documentary Saving Lieb House, the story of the efforts of world-renowned architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown to save the house (called "an iconic pop-art creation" and a "masterpiece of abstract modern design" ) from its scheduled demolition." The terminal accommodates over 100,000 tourists and commuters on a daily basis (for transportation open 24 hours a day), and the new design establishes the terminal as a major integrated transportation hub, connecting it with a new South Ferry subway station with access to four subway lines, three bus lines and taxis.

A "gateway to the city," set against the backdrop of Manhattan's greatest buildings on one side and the river on the other, the design was created to imbue the terminal "with a strong sense of civic presence."

Post-Katrina New Orleans

An architect and planner with particular expertise in affordable, sustainable housing, Schwartz was selected by the citizens of New Orleans and the New Orleans City Planning Commission to re-plan one third of the city for 40% of its post-Katrina population.

Schwartz and his team became the lead planners for District 4, the district that includes the "largest concentration of public housing in the city" (Iberville, St. Bernard, Lafitte and B. W. Cooper), and according to Schwartz he "made every effort to involve the residents and the community in the planning effort," while ensuring that the design of the new housing "could maintain the look and feel of surrounding neighborhoods with a mix of both modern interpretation of historic typologies and new urbanist models."

Schwartz and the "THINK Team" that he created to help create a public debate that went beyond the confines of the memorial to the larger question of a new Lower Manhattan, ultimately did complete the design for the Manhattan 9-11 memorial that was chosen by the Memorial Commission, but the commission's recommendation was overruled by then-governor George Pataki, who chose another firm for the job.

The design created by Schwartz and his team was based on the idea of replacing the World Trade Center with a "World Culture Center," in the form of a vertical complex of educational and cultural buildings, including a concert hall, conference center, library, and an "interpretive museum" focused on the events of September 11. The design included two steel lattice frameworks that would stand in the same approximate locations as the original towers, but not touch the original "footprints" of the old towers in a show of respect for the "sacral dimension" of the site.

The New Jersey State September 11 memorial, Empty Sky, was dedicated on September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of the attacks. It stands in Liberty State Park, along the Hudson River, across from the site of Ground Zero. It was selected by unanimous vote of the Family and Survivors Memorial Committee, from 320 designs submitted. Chennai, India. Teaming up with Gensler USA and the Creative Group in India, Schwartz's group is working on a project that will include new domestic and international terminals, two 1200 car parking garages, and new airport roads. The airport will be unique because of the incorporation of two lush and sustainable gardens, visible through towering glass walls throughout the terminals, creating a "dialogue" between the exterior and interior spaces. The "sculptural" folding green roof of the new parking garage along with the views of the garden will welcome travelers with a "green gateway" in both rainy and dry seasons. with more than 25 different operating airlines using the facility, and is also the second largest cargo hub in India, after Mumbai.

Projects Raipur Airport, Raipur, India (2007–2008) The Rising (9-11 memorial) Empty Sky (9-11 memorial) Pike County Library, Milford, PA (2007–2008) Kalahari Mixed Use Development, New York, NY (2003–2008) Nike SoHo, New York, NY (2007–2008) Santa Fe Railyard Park, Santa Fe, NM (2006) Deutsch Inc., New York, NY (1992–2005) Knoll, New York, NY (2004) Deutsch Inc., Los Angeles, CA (2002) Southwest Regional Capitol, Toulouse, France (1992–1999) John G. Shedd Aquarium, Go Overboard Shop, Chicago, IL (1998)

Awards Schwartz was the winner of international competitions for a one million square foot skyscraper in the heart of Shanghai, China. 2009 AIA New York State Award, Staten Island Ferry Terminal, New York, NY 2009 AIA New York/Boston Urban Design Honor Award, Santa Fe Railyard Park, NM 2008 AIA Louisiana Urban Design Honor Award, Unified New Orleans Plan, New Orleans, LA 2008 AIA New York Urban Design Award, Unified New Orleans Plan, New Orleans, LA 2007 AIA Louisiana Project Award, New Orleans Shotgun Loft House, New Orleans, LA 2006 AIA New York Project Award, New Orleans Shotgun Loft House, New Orleans, LA 2005 AIA Westchester Honor Award, Westchester 9/11 Memorial, Westchester, NY 2005 AIA Westchester Project Award, Westchester 9/11 Memorial, Westchester, NY 2005 AIA Tennessee Award of Excellence, Nashville, TN (Shelby Street Bridge) 2004 AIA New York Project Award, World Trade Center Master Plan, New York, NY (Think) 2004 AIA New Jersey Honor Award, New Jersey 9/11 Memorial, Liberty State Park, NJ 2003 AIA National Honor Award for Collaborative Achievement (New York New Visions) 2003 AIA Long Island Design Excellence Award, Deutsch LA, Los Angeles, CA 2003 AIA New York Interior Design Award, Deutsch LA, Los Angeles, CA 2003 AIA Chicago Interior Design Award, San Diego Zoo Store, San Diego, CA 2002 AIA New York Special Design Award, Possible Futures, New York, NY 2002 AIA San Diego Interior Design Award, San Diego Zoo Store, San Diego, CA 1999 AIA Chicago Interior Design Award, Shedd Aquarium Store, Chicago, IL 1996 AIA New York Interior Design Award, Bumble+Bumble, New York, NY 1995 AIA New York Interior Design Award, SMA Video, New York, NY 1995 AIA New York Project Award, New York Newsstand, New York, NY 1994 AIA New York Project Award, Lake Sebago House, Maine 1993 AIA New York Interior Design Award, Chelsea Pictures, New York, NY 1982 AIA National Honor Award, Block Island Houses, Block Island, RI (with Robert Venturi)

Selected other awards Non-AIA awards include: 2008 New York City Hall of Fame 2007 National Honor Award, Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art, Architecture (Westchester 9/11) 2006 Diamond Award for Engineering Excellence, ACEC New York, (Staten Island Ferry Terminal) 2005 Winner, People's Choice Award, New York NOW, Center for Architecture, New York, NY 2004 Winner, Cityscape/Architectural Review Architecture Award 2004 (Shanghai World Expo 2010) 2004 Winner, Cityscape/Architectural Review Planning Award 2004 (Shanghai World Expo 2010) 2004 International Interior Design Association, 10 Best of Decade Design Award (Deutsch LA) 2003 Finalist, National Honor Award in Architecture, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 2003 Lawrence M. Orton Award, New York Metro Chapter, American Planning Association 2002 First Prize (Big Store of the Year), National Retail Association, San Diego Zoo Store 1992 Met 100: Architects We'd Hire, Metropolitan Home 1991 Record Interiors of the Year, Architectural Record 1991 AD 100: Architectural Digest World Top 100 Architects 1990 Record Houses of the Year, Architectural Record 1988 Emerging Voices, Architectural League of New York 1988 New York City Arts Commission Award of Honor, Rector Gate 1987 40 Under 40, Interiors Magazine 1985 Young Architects Award, Architectural League of New York 1985 Rome Prize in Architecture, American Academy in Rome, Rome, Italy 1984 Young Architects Award, Architectural League of New York 1983 National Endowment for the Arts Design Fellowship

Published works Introduction, Alan Buchsbaum: Architect and Designer, by Rosalind Kraus, Monacelli Publishes, 1996, Mother's House (co-authored with Robert Venturi), Rizzoli Publishers, 1992, published in English, Japanese, and German,