Architect Ki Suh Park, FAIA, was selected for the Whitney Young Award for architecture and planning contributions that embraced a diverse clientele and maintained a strong commitment to equal rights.

 

Born in South Korea, Park arrived in the United States in 1953 under the sponsorship of author James Michener and artist Norman Rockwell, who each read a letter he posted in the Los Angeles Times about wanting to study architecture after seeing the destruction of the Korean War. After receiving architecture and planning degrees from University of California, Berkeley and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Park joined legendary Southern California firm Gruen Associates in 1961. Known for his exacting mind and social conscience, he focused on active public participation for a range of community projects, including a replenishment housing program following construction of the I-105 freeway through Los Angeles.

 

Park became a managing partner at Gruen in 1981 and the first Korean American architect elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in 1986. With the firm, he led high-profile projects for the Los Angeles Convention Center and Cedars Sinai Medical Center. As a member of the Rebuild L.A. Executive Committee, Park helped re-establish neighborhoods after the 1992 Los Angeles riots, strongly promoting a multi-perspective approach to community development amidst great social tension.