The College of the Arts at UL Lafayette is proud to announce the selection of Edward C. Mathes, AIA to receive our 2018 SPARK Lifetime Achievement Award.
Edward C. Mathes, AIA, is a native of New Orleans. He attended the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA from 1961 through 1964 and is a proud ‘68 graduate of the Architecture Program at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL now UL Lafayette). He has been the chairman of Mathes Brierre Architects since 1982. Mathes Brierre is one of the nation’s oldest and most successful architecture firms. Mr. Mathes has been a Principal of the firm since 1972, and has directed the growth of the firm to a respected multi-disciplined practice based in New Orleans, working nationally and internationally. His experience ranges from corporate office headquarters, telecommunication complexes, to the design of music schools and performance spaces at high schools and universities, as well as varied museum types. Mathes is licensed in 12 states and is NCARB Certified.
Mr. Mathes’ work has earned regional and national awards from the American Institute of Architecture (AIA). He has served as Principal-in-Charge of many large and complex projects such as the National World War II Museum capital expansion projects, totaling over 300,000 square feet; and the 114,000 square foot J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe Library at Loyola University, the region’s most technologically advanced facility of its type. Additionally, he was Principal-in-Charge for the joint venture for the master plan and through design and construction of the award winning New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), which included the restoration/renovation of two ante-bellum cotton warehouses for school use and new construction for the specialized areas of fine arts education. Mathes continues to participate in a variety of roles with chapters of the American Institute of Architects, and also serves on several boards such as Construction Industry Association, Central Business District Historic Preservation Board, and the Center for Living Arts.
In 2013, Mathes showed his gratitude to the UL Lafayette, by establishing the Edward C. Mathes/BORSF Endowed Superior Graduate Student Scholarship in Architecture and in 2015 he also established the Edward C. Mathes Endowed Lecture Series in Architecture. In short, Ed Mathes has represented his alma mater well through his accomplishments as an architect but also through his ongoing support for UL Lafayette School of Architecture and Design. Mathes will be formally named at this year’s SPARK honoree at the 2017 Beaux Arts Ball. He will join the ranks of our previous honorees; A. Hays Town, Elmore Morgan Jr., Joe Stewart, George Rodrigue, Keith Sonnier, Dicky Landry, Eddie Cazayoux, Herman Mhire and others.
