Orchard Beach & Hunter Island Tour

AIA Bronx Chapter with The Bronx County Historical Society

Date and Time:  Oct 17, 2026, from 10:00 AM to12:00 PM
Location: Orchard Beach Parking Lot, Bronx, New York, NY
Price: Architect / BCHS member $20 - Associate member $20 - Non-member $25
Credits: 2 LU HSW
Special Instructions: Wear comfortable shoes and will take place in rain or shine.
For more information Contact: Bob Esnard, AIA - besnard@dzco.com  

Description

Orchard Beach and Hunter Island Walking Tour: The AIA walking tour will explore the promenade of Orchard Beach and discuss its architectural history, as well as situating the “Riviera of The Bronx” in its historical context; that is, the Robert Moses sponsored urban planning of the 20th century and its impact on The Bronx and New York City. The beach was borne out of the WPA and public works associated with the New Deal era of Franklin Roosevelt The walk will also focus on the development of the Bronx Park system and the City Beautiful movement of the late 19th and early 20th century’s, with a particular emphasis on Pelham Bay Park, at 2,772 acres, the largest park in New York City, of which Orchard Beach is a part. Pelham Bay Park was borne of a particularly propitious moment for city beautiful movement. 

The annexation of the West Bronx to New York City (in 1874) and the East Bronx (in 1895) hastened the urban development of The Bronx as a major mixed-use business/residential urban area, a far cry from its early days as a critical agricultural supplier for New York City. Highlighted will be examples of urban planning and architectural construction that allowed for the creation of green spaces, which began early in the Bronx with the New Parks Act of 1884.   As a result, the amount of total parkland in the Bronx is 4,000 acres, the most of any borough of New York City.  Private sector efforts combined with the government of the State and City of New York, to orchestrate the creation of Orchard Beach and Hunters Island in Pelham Bay Park in the 20th century. In addition, a system of “greenways” was laid out to connect these parks, including Pelham Parkway, which connected Pelham Bay Park to Bronx Park, so Bronx residents could get to any of the parks with ease. 

 The access to Orchard Beach and Hunter Island is an excellent example of the Pelham Parkway “greenway” which include; a roadway for buses and cars, horse trails, running path, walkways, bicycle area and various seating locations and open spaces. The tour will visit the Hunter Island Wildlife Reserve, just adjacent to Orchard Beach. The flora and fauna of the East Bronx will be discussed, as will preservation efforts to maintain the ecology of Pelham Bay Park in a heavily urbanized Bronx. The tour will proceed down the Theodore Kazimiroff Nature Trail and hiking trails and conclude at the Orchard Beach Parking lot where the tour began.

Contact Bob Esnard: besnard@dzco.com , 212-977-4800 

J. Max Bond Jr. Lecture | Portrait Unveiling

Tuesday, 10/6, 6pm - 8pm

Location - Harvard Club of New York City

Price

In-Person - AIANY Member: Free
In-Person - Student with Valid ID: Free
In-Person - General Public: $15
nycoba|NOMA Member: Free
In-Person: AIA Member (not AIANY): $15

Our very Chapter president, Richard Gonzalez, AIA, will be a speaker!!!!!

Please join the American Institute of Architects New York chapter (AIA New York) and the Harvard Club of New York House Committee as we honor the life and work of architect J. Max Bond Jr., FAIA. Remembered as an authoritative and gentlemanly presence, Bond served as lead architect for the Harvard Club of New York's 2000 extension to 35 West 44th Street, balancing the Club's need for modern space with the historic character of the original clubhouse.

The evening will open with the 2026 J. Max Bond Annual Lecture delivered by architectural historian Brian D. Goldstein, author of Max Bond: The Life and Work of the People’s Architect (Princeton University Press, 2026). Goldstein will be joined by former colleagues, collaborators, and friends including Mary Schmidt Campbell, Peter Cook, Peggy King Jorde, Mary McLeod, Richard Gonzalez, Shawn Rickenbacker, Nandinee Phookan, LeAnn Shelton, and Stephen M. Wilder. 

Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1935, Bond entered Harvard College in 1951 where he endured a period of intense racial reckoning on campus and stayed on to complete his Master's coursework at Graduate School of Design in 1958. After graduation, Fulbright took him to Paris, where he apprenticed under André Wogenscky in Le Corbusier's studio; he then worked at several New York firms before moving to Accra, Ghana in 1964, teaching in Kumasi and designing the passively cooled Bolgatanga Regional Library, an engagement he counted among his most pivotal.

Back in New York from 1967, he co-founded Bond Ryder & Associates with Donald P. Ryder in 1969, which in 1990 merged with Davis, Brody & Associates. He worked across various type and scale in a progressive modern idiom including urban housing, the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, Columbia's Audubon Biomedical Science and Technology Park with its restoration of the Audubon Ballroom. Bond championed dignity in the city's public realm as director of the Architects' Renewal Committee in Harlem in 1967 to 1968 and on the New York City Planning Commission from 1980 to 1986. A generous mentor to generations of academic architects, he chaired Columbia's architecture division, then became dean at City College. Amongst his best-known works are monuments to African American history including the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Atlanta, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, as well as the Schomburg Center and the Studio Museum in Harlem. At his death in 2009, he was partner in charge of the museum at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

The Lecture will conclude with the unveiling of a portrait of J. Max Bond Jr.—the first commissioned for permanent display at a Harvard-affiliated institution. The portrait commission recognizes Bond’s enduring legacy and the broader, complex histories represented within Harvard’s institutional story. Portrait artist Gustavo Ramos will discuss the inspiration and artistic intentions behind the painting.

Opening Remarks:
Mary Schmidt Campbell, President Emerita, Spelman College

Keynote:
Brian D. Goldstein, ‘04, MA ‘09, PhD ‘13, Associate Professor, Swarthmore College; Author, Max Bond: The Life and Work of the People’s Architect

Panel:
Richard Gonzalez, AIA, Principal, Richard Gonzalez Architect, PLLC; President, AIA Westchester & Hudson Valley Chapter
Peggy King Jorde, Principal, King Jorde Cultural Projects Consulting; Harvard Loeb Fellow
Mary McLeod, Professor of Architecture, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Columbia University
Nandinee Phookan, AIA, Principal, Nandinee Phookan Architects
LeAnn Shelton, Esq., AIA, General Counsel and Director of Business Affairs, Rockwell Group

Moderator:
Shawn Rickenbacker, NOMA, ULI, Director, J. Max Bond Center for Urban Futures, City College of New York; Associate Professor of Architecture, Spitzer School of Architecture

Introduction to Portait:
Peter Cook, FAIA, NOMA, Design Principal, HGA

Portrait Unveiling:
Gustavo Ramos, Artist

Closing Remarks:
Stephen M. Wilder, AIA, NOMA, Principal, Think Wilder Architecture; President, New York Coalition of Black Architects; Commissioner, NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

Organized by

AIANY Diversity and Inclusion Committee; J. Max Bond Center for Urban Futures; nycoba|NOMA; Harvard Club

Holding in Common: Landscapes as a Medium for Shared Experience

SPONSORED BY

AIA Westchester + Hudson Valley 2027 Proposed Slate

President Elect – Manny Andrade, AIA
Treasurer – Erica Gaswirth, AIA
Secretary – Nick Binder, AIA
Directors (3 year term unless noted)
David Burke, AIA
Danielle DeVito, AIA
Karl Hensen, AIA
Victoria Cuddy, AIA (returning - 1 year term)
Associate Director (3 year term)
Sabrina Fabian Marcus, Associate AIA

We would like to thank those board members completing their term of service
Walter Hauser, AIA
Celia Imrey, AIA
Alison Spear, AIA
Chris Marta, Associate AIA (Associate Director)
 

We would like to thank those board members continuing their term of service

President – Christina Kissel, AIA
Immediate Past President –Richard Gonzalez, AIA
Director
Nischal Arjune, AIA
Nick Binder, AIA
Richard Markgraf, AIA
Dipti Shah, AIA
Brooklyn Bogdan, AIA
Robert S Everett, AIA
Tomasz Mlynarski, AIA
Cornelia J. Szustka, AIA
Ana Pereira, Assoc AIA
Alex Kovenat, AIA AIANYS Director

We look forward to your participation in this important gathering of our professional community.

Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Time: 5:30pm - 8:00pm
Venue: Four Brothers Restaurant, 654 US-6, Mahopac, NY 10541
Cost: $25 AIA | $15 Associate AIA | $35 Non member
CEU: 2 AIA PDH HSW

You're Invited: 2025 Annual Meeting
Please join us for this year’s Annual Meeting! The evening will include Board of Directors voting and an engaging lecture program, offering both insight and inspiration.

archtobernewburgh INTRODUCING: Architect's Bookshelf - SEE BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO DONATE A BOOK

EVENT DESCRIPTION: Two Timber Tales
Mass timber construction offers a myriad of benefits, including lower embodied carbon, constructional efficiencies, and lighter assemblies as compared to traditional steel and concrete construction. In addition, mass timber provides visual character and warmth to building interiors, promoting occupant welfare and potentially reducing the number of interior finishes required. How can architects advocate for its use and successfully integrate mass timber into projects? In a presentation led by Principal Kim Yao, FAIA, learn how Architecture Research Office utilized mass timber in two completed projects – Milgard Hall at the University of Washington’s Tacoma campus, and The Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape at the Olana State Historic Site in Hudson, New York. Each attendee will gain an understanding of varied ways that mass timber can be integrated into their work.
Learning Objectives:
• Incorporate mass timber into varied assemblies within a building.
• Advocate for the use of mass timber based on its embodied carbon benefits.
• Articulate financial advantages for mass timber compared to traditional structural systems.
• Assess different public procurement methods for mass timber projects, including design-build and design-bid-build.

archtobernewburgh INTRODUCING: Architect's Bookshelf

BOOKS CAN BE DONATED AT THE SEPT 30 MEETING FOR DONATION

As part of Archtober Newburgh, we have created the Architect's Bookshelf A fun book drive in which architects (from all over) can donate a book that has influenced their creative journey. We match them with a local NFA and Youth Build student interested in architecture, design and urbanism. A personal note on the book's significance is encouraged.

A casual mixer for all will be hosted on October 3rd, 5pm at @ads_warehouse_newburgh to further build connections with students and professionals.

Interested in participating? Sign up and find more info via the link in our bio (https://tinyurl.com/d73bhw54)

Architects, please share this with your networks!

You can donate a book from your collection or purchase a book at our local independent bookstore, @golden_hour_newburgh via their bookshop.org shop (link in bio)

This program is presented by Latinos in Architecture of AIA Westchester and Hudson Valley and Archtober Newburgh.

AIA Westchester + Hudson Valley 2026 Proposed Slate

President Elect – Christina Kissel, AIA
Treasurer – Manny Andrade, AIA
Secretary – Erica Gaswirth, AIA
Directors (3 year term)
Brooklyn Bogdan, AIA
Robert S Everett, AIA
Tomasz Mlynarski, AIA
Cornelia J. Szustka, AIA
Associate Director (3 year term)
Ana Pereira, Assoc AIA

We would like to thank those board members completing their term of service

Steve Tilly, AIA (immediate past president)
Alison Spear, AIA
Nischal Arjune, AIA
Walter Hauser, AIA
Adina Banayan, Associate AIA
Seth Wiley, AIA AIANYS Director 

We would like to thank those board members continuing their term of service

President – Richard Gonzalez, AIA
Immediate Past President –, Alexandra Kovenat AIA
Director
Nick Binder, AIA
Victoria Cuddy, AIA
Erica Gaswirth, AIA
Celia Imrey, AIA
Richard Markgraf, AIA
Dipti Shah, AIA
Chris Marta, Associate AIA (Associate Director)

We look forward to your participation in this important gathering of our professional community.

AIA WHV 2024 CHAPTER MEETING

UPDATES FROM THE CODE DIVISION WITH ERIKA!

Sponsored by Wood Designe

AIA WHV JANUARY 31st CHAPTER MEETING

UPDATES FROM THE CODE DIVISION WITH ERIKA!

Sponsored by Wood Designe

JANUARY 26th CHAPTER MEETING SPONSORED BY WOOD DESIGNE

UPDATES FROM THE CODE DIVISION WITH ERIKA!

&

FIND OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH
HUDSON VALLEY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP

Date:     January 26, 2022
Time:    6:00pm - 8:00pm Continuing Education Seminar
Platform: Zoom
Credits: 2 AIA HSW PDH
Fee - includes one free Summer School Session In July/August (no refunds):    
$35 AIA Members / $25 Assoc AIA Members / $50 Non Members

Come join us to hear about the latest NYS Code updates with Erika Krieger, AIA. Also joining us will be Mike Oates of Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp to discuss what is happening in the region. Mike will touch on our cluster development strategy and the workforce of the future, including hiring people with disabilities.