On May 19, The Architectural League presented its highest honor, the President’s Medal, to philanthropists Elise Jaffe + Jeffrey Brown in recognition of their extraordinary impact on architecture and design. The medal was presented at a gala dinner held in the Crossing of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan. There, we celebrated Elise + Jeffrey’s shared commitment to an expansive culture of architecture and honored Jeffrey’s memory. 

Elise + Jeffrey were celebrated in the President’s Medal citation and in remarks by League president Mario Gooden, director of Mario Gooden Studio: Architecture + Design and professor at Columbia GSAPP; Emanuel Admassu and Jen Wood, founding principals of AD-WO; Deborah Berke, founding principal of TenBerke and dean of the Yale School of Architecture; Michael Maltzan, founding principal of Michael Maltzan Architecture; and Karen Stein, architectural advisor, critic, and faculty member at the School of Visual Art. The event was co-chaired by Deborah Berke, Amanda M. Burden, Sarah Herda, Jing Liu & Florian Idenburg, Michael Maltzan, Jennifer Newsom & Tom Carruthers, and Karen Stein.

Citation

In his presentation of the Medal, League President Mario Gooden read the following citation:

For more than thirty-five years, Elise Jaffe + Jeffrey Brown have shaped the landscape of contemporary architecture through a singular, deeply thoughtful philanthropic project—one defined by quiet tenacity, intellectual rigor, and enduring generosity. Their support has played an essential role in the realization of countless studios, books, exhibitions, and prizes that have helped define architectural culture in the twenty-first century.

Elise + Jeffrey have supported a generation of practitioners and institutions, often at pivotal moments, and always with an eye toward where architecture and design needs to go next. In this work, they have embodied ideals The Architectural League holds dear: a dedication to creative and intellectual risk-taking; a belief in the necessity of critical discourse and public engagement; and a commitment to promoting a more equitable, imaginative, and responsive built environment. They have advanced architecture not as a finished product but as an evolving field of possibilities, in which new voices, forms, and futures are continually emerging.

With deep admiration, The Architectural League is proud to award the 2025 President’s Medal to Elise Jaffe +, in memoriam, Jeffrey Brown.

Remarks

Karen Stein remarked: 

For decades—almost invisibly, at first—Elise and Jeff have been our super glue. That beguiling substance that finds its way into all the nooks and crannies and holds everything just a little bit more firmly together. The super glue that makes the whole stronger. As you’ll hear again and again tonight, Elise and Jeff have been generous in countless ways. But one of the most meaningful is the gift of their time—and their genuine, sustained engagement with our work.

Deborah Berke stated: 

What Elise and Jeffrey did, and continue to do, for the School of Architecture at Yale, is without comparison. Their support has been strong, consistent, and quiet. They were not interested in the attention being on them, they wanted the attention to be on the work.

In their remarks, Emanuel Admassu and Jen Wood said of Elise and Jeffrey: 

For the past three decades, Elise and Jeffrey have been practicing a kind of faith; a belief that supporting heterogeneous practices, within and outside the client-driven model, is mutually beneficial for us all. We also feel compelled to note that we feel very moved to celebrate Elise and Jeffrey’s leadership, curiosity, and optimism in this particular political moment. A moment that can overarchingly be described in opposite terms.

On Elise and Jeffrey’s impact, Michael Maltzan reflected: 

It’s a common belief that our buildings and landscapes form the “permanent record” of architecture. But what if it’s the opposite, what if what endures in architecture, what really lasts, are the instigations, the actions, the commitments of individuals like Elise and Jeff that affect the thinking, and the trajectories of generations of architects?

The League thanks the Benefit Leaders of the President’s Medal Dinner for their generous commitments.

Patrons
Mary and Brad Burnham
Sciame Construction, LLC

Advocates
Arup
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Columbia GSAPP
Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Alexandra and Paul Herzan
Elise Jaffe + Jeffrey Brown
KPF
Paratus Group
RAMSA | Robert A.M. Stern Architects
Yale School of Architecture

Sustainers
Alloy
Architecture Research Office
Amanda M. Burden
Cynthia Davidson and Peter Eisenman
Sharon Davis
Field Operations
Fogarty Finger
Rosalie Genevro and Armand LeGardeur
GFP Real Estate
Agnes Gund
Frances Halsband
Steven Holl and Dimitra Tsachrelia
Mary Margaret Jones, Hargreaves Jones
Ken Smith Workshop
Lauren Kogod and David Smiley
Leroy Street Studio
Carol Loewenson
Jeannie and Thomas Phifer
Thomas Robinson, LEVER Architecture
Rockwell Group
SO – IL
SOM
Susan T. Rodriguez | Architecture • Design
Thornton Tomasetti
Toshiko Mori Architect PLLC
Billie Tsien
TYLin
Alan Wanzenberg
Marion Weiss & Michael A. Manfredi
Tod Williams
Carol and Mark Willis

Supporters
Anthony Ames and Daisy Ames
Sarah Arison
Harrison Atelier
Atelier Ten
Ronald Bentley & Salvatore LaRosa
David Berridge and Cathleen McGuigan
Alissa Bucher and Rob Rogers
Eric Bunge + Mimi Hoang
Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
Davies Toews Architecture
Kenneth Drucker, HOK
Becky Garnett & Pete DePasquale, GARNETT.DePASQUALE
GLUCK+
Jane Hait and Justin Beal
Tracey Hummer
JSA/MIXdesign
Rachel Judlowe
Jesse Krzywon, The CNR Group
LEONG LEONG
David Leven and Stella Betts
Brian Loughlin, Magnusson Architecture and Planning PC
LTL Architects
Marlon Blackwell Architects
Monica Morrow, MD
Pelli Clarke & Partners
Pentagram
Practice for Architecture and Urbanism | PAU
Jesse Reiser and Nanako Umemoto, RUR Architecture
Sage and Coombe Architects
Annabelle Selldorf
Karen Stein
Calvin Tsao and Zack McKown
WXY architecture + urban design

Contributors
Sunil Bald
Barry Bergdoll
Buro Happold
Joy Connolly, ACLS
Chris Counts
Cristina Grajales Gallery
DVDL | Visitor Experience & Cultural Planners
Hayley Eber, The Cooper Union School of Architecture
Martin Finio
Belmont Freeman
Deborah Gans
Leslie Gill
Dean Marta Gutman, Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York
Louise Harpman
Heinz Architectural Center, Carnegie Museum of Art
Johnston Marklee
Katherine Hogan Architects
Eve Klein
Hank Koning and Julie Eizenberg
Phyllis B. Lambert
LOT-EK
Michael Maltzan
Margaret Sullivan Studio
Mario Gooden Studio
Matilda McQuaid & Craig Konyk
Yael Melamede, SALTY Features
MOS
Lars Müller, Publisher
New Affiliates
Jennifer Newsom, Dream The Combine
Peterson Rich Office
Ben Prosky, The Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation
Juergen Riehm
Mark Robbins and David Ballantine
Adam Rolston
Richard Roth
Mark Simon FAIA, CENTERBROOK
Ashley Simone, Axiomatic Editions
Susanne Simpson
Studio Joseph
Tabe Shouri
Sanjive Vaidya, City Tech/CUNY Department of Architecture
Tucker Viemeister
Walter Chatham Architect
Sarah Williams
Mabel O. Wilson
Young Projects

Friends
ABC Stone
Drs. Lisa and Amir Arbisser
Architecture & Design Film Festival
Constance R. Caplan
CO Adaptive
Terri Coppersmith
Ellen and Marc Forman
Marva Griffin, Founder and Curator, SaloneSatellite | Salone del Mobile.Milano
David A. Hanks
Penny Hardy, PS New York
Leslie Hendrix and Joseph Smith
Steve Hogden, JS Hogden Inc., Owners Representative
Celia Imrey
Sue Ann Kahn
Frank Lupo
Marvel
Mary McLeod
Craig Miller
Elizabeth O’Donnell
Anna Raginskaya, Blue Rider Group at Morgan Stanley
Bryony Roberts
Anne H. Van Ingen
Dr. Susan Weber, Bard Graduate Center

Support

The League is grateful to the following sponsors for their generous donations and in-kind services:

Spirits by Fort Hamilton Distillery
Flowers by Ora La Casa de Las Flores