Vin Cipolla, president of The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS), announced that 2014 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medals will be presented to Bruce Ratner, executive chairman, and MaryAnne Gilmartin, president & CEO, Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC).
MAS will pay tribute to Ratner and Gilmartin for their longstanding commitment to New York City and the organizations and partnerships that make it a more just and equitable place, and in recognition of their efforts to promote world-class design, architectural innovation and public art.
Mayor of the City of New York, Bill de Blasio, commended the honorees, saying, “Bruce Ratner and MaryAnne Gilmartin have both played key roles in revitalizing Downtown Brooklyn and enhancing New York City’s iconic skyline – it literally would not be the same without them.
“Their developments exhibit the highest standards of design excellence and architectural innovation, and they continue to expand economic opportunity for thousands of New Yorkers.”
The Onassis Medals will be presented at a black-tie fundraiser co-chaired by David M. Childs, Chairman Emeritus of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Larry A. Silverstein, chairman of Silverstein Properties, at the landmarked 583 Park Avenue on Wednesday, June 11, 2014.
Contributions will support MAS and its mission to advance holistic urban planning, preservation and design solutions that enhance the quality of life across New York.
The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal, MAS’s highest honor, is presented annually to individuals or institutions whose work or deeds have made outstanding contributions to New York City.
The medal, launched in 1950, was renamed in 1994 to commemorate Mrs. Onassis’ efforts to champion and preserve New York’s great architectural treasures.
Genie Birch, chair of the MAS Board of Directors, said, “Bruce and MaryAnne’s many accomplishments embody MAS’s core principles in numerous ways, and we are pleased to recognize them for their commitment to the future of New York. Their focus on addressing our city’s lack of affordable housing through innovative investments in modular building techniques will have a positive and lasting impact, and serve as a model for the entire development sector. Forest City Ratner’s acute understanding of the ways that mixed-use development and urban revitalization projects contribute to the healthy and sustainable functioning of communities across the region and the country has benefited cities – and citizens – from coast to coast.”
Cipolla continued, “Forest City Ratner Companies has developed some of the most architecturally distinct new buildings in our city, including Renzo Piano’s New York Times Building and Frank Gehry’s 8 Spruce Street. FCRC has led the revitalization of a key part of New York, Downtown Brooklyn, starting with MetroTech Center and culminating with our city’s first 21st century arena, entertainment complex and neighborhood catalyst: Barclays Center.”
Ratner started FCRC in 1985. He has developed 44 ground-up projects in the New York City and is the majority owner and developer of Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets and the centerpiece of the first phase of the transformative Atlantic Yards development, which will include 6,400 residential units and has already begun to positively impact the cultural landscape of the city.
Ratner is a graduate of Harvard College and the Columbia University School of Law. He holds honorary degrees from Brooklyn College, the Pratt Institute and Long Island University.
MaryAnne Gilmartin has led the development of some of the most high profile real estate projects in New York City, including Barclays Center.
She oversaw the development of The New York Times Building and New York by Gehry, the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere. She he has managed the commercial portfolio at MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn, which consists of 6.7 million square feet of Class A office space.
Gilmartin graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Fordham University, where she also completed her Master’s Degree in 1990.
She began her real estate development career as a New York City Urban Fellow in 1986 at the Public Development Corporation (now the NYC Economic Development Corporation).
Previous recipients of MAS’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal include last year’s honorees, David Rockefeller, Jr., Board Chair, and Dr. Judith Rodin, President, The Rockefeller Foundation at the time of its centennial; philanthropists Peter G. Peterson and Joan Ganz Cooney, Agnes Gund, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman, Peter L. Malkin, Wade F.B. Thompson and Janet and Arthur Ross; preservationists Margot Gayle and Brendan Gill; fashion icon and urban advocate Diane von Furstenberg; and architects I. M. Pei, James Stewart Polshek and Robert A.M. Stern.
For information about the gala contact the JFM Group at (212) 921-9070 ext. 11
