BOSTON – October 6, 2023 – The Boston Public Library (BPL) announced today that David P. Manfredi, CEO & Founding Principal of Elkus Manfredi Architects, is the 2023 recipient of the Druker Award Celebrating Design and Architecture. The Druker Award is presented annually to a leader who has made outstanding and important contributions to the world of design; each award recipient shares insights on the world of Architecture and Design at a corresponding lecture. This year’s event will take place on November 4, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. in Rabb Lecture Hall on the lower level of the Boylston Street Building. The talk is free and open to the public.
David Manfredi is known for his diverse portfolio of planning and design projects across the country and in the city of Boston, including Boston Landing (which features the New Balance headquarters, the TRACK at new balance, and the Bruins’ Warrior Ice Arena, and the Celtics’ Auerbach Center practice facilities), the 1001 Boylston Street air-rights redevelopment (spanning the Mass Pike at the intersection of Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue), the Broad Institute in Kendall Square, and the research headquarters for Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He has received recognition from multiple preservation and design organizations for his leadership in renovating the South End’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross and the Women’s Clinic at St. Anthony Shrine.
“It is an honor to bestow the Druker Award upon David Manfredi, a visionary whose impact on the world of design has been nothing short of transformative,” said BPL President David Leonard. “His passion for creating spaces that inspire, unite, and uplift has not only transformed physical landscapes but also the way we experience and interact with our urban environments.”
Manfredi is deeply committed to the belief that the quality of our environment directly influences the quality of our lives, and effectively advocates for building and protecting vital, sustainable, durable urban places. In his presentation, he will speak about how the planning of urban districts and the design of housing, workplaces, shops and restaurants, i.e., the buildings of everyday life, and public open spaces can enhance connectivity, acting as anchors and places of common ground that bring people together.
David Manfredi will be in conversation with BPL President David Leonard, followed by an audience Q&A. The Druker Company President Ronald M. Druker will give welcoming remarks.
”David has had an impact on virtually every neighborhood in Boston, designing buildings in ways that connect to and enhance the traditional strengths of our region, while assuring that our urban environments continue to evolve as dynamic centers of connection, innovation, and community in a sustainable way,” said Ronald M. Druker, President and
CEO of The Druker Company, LTD. “I am proud to call him a collaborator and a good friend; he embodies the spirit of this award and what it is intended to celebrate.”
Manfredi is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and an active member of the Boston Preservation Alliance, Boston Society of Architects, and Urban Land Institute (ULI). He serves on the Boston Civic Design Commission, as chair of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture Advisory Council, on the Board of Trustees of the Boston Architectural College, the Boston Society for Architecture Foundation, and the ULI Boston Advisory Board. David is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with Bachelor degrees in both English Literature and Architecture and the University of Chicago, where he received a Master of Arts.
David has been recognized by A Better City with the Norman B. Leventhal Excellence in City Building Award, by the Real Estate Finance Association (REFA) with the Robert S. Swain, Jr. Distinguished Service Award, by the Boston Preservation Alliance with the President’s Award, and by St. Anthony’s Shrine with the Pope Francis Award.
To register for the Druker Award & Lecture, visit: https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/events/6421f8f51c16ec3600d12dd0.
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ABOUT THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large, free municipal library in the United States; the first public library to lend books; the first to have a branch library; and the first to have a children’s room.
The Boston Public Library of today is a robust system that includes the Central Library in Copley Square, 25 neighborhood branches, the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center, the Kirstein Business and Innovation Center, and an archival center, offering public access to world-class special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints, along with rich digital content and online services.
The Boston Public Library serves nearly 4 million visitors per year and millions more online. All of its programs and exhibitions are free to all and open to the public. The Boston Public Library is a department of the City of Boston, under the leadership of Mayor Michelle Wu. To learn more, visit bpl.org.
