Spitzer Stars

Norval White (1926-2009), architect, architectural historian, and teacher, devoted his career to making architecture accessible to the public. He co-authored the AIA Guide to New York City, which broadened the audience for architecture by discussing buildings in context rather than treating them in isolation. First published in 1968, it has been issued in five editions. 

In one of his notable projects, the Essex Terrace complex in Brooklyn, White aimed to bring a human scale to subsidized housing. White also designed the Police Headquarters in Lower Manhattan while a partner at Gruzen. 

He was a founding member of the Action Group for Better Architecture in New York (AGBANY), which was formed to protest the destruction of Pennsylvania Station, and he went on to advance the public purposes of architecture and planning through preservation and advocacy. He was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects.