Curtis Fentress

Curtis Fentress, FAIA, RIBA, received the 2010 Thomas Jefferson Award, the highest honor in public architecture, from the American Institute of Architects for his accomplishments in the design of architecturally distinguished public buildings. Born in North Carolina, Fentress graduated with honors from North Carolina State University with a bachelor of architecture degree. While there, he won an AIA-FAIA Fellowship, a Graham Foundation Fellowship, and the Alpha Rho Chi Medal, the highest honor bestowed on a student by the school. After leaving a position with I.M. Pei, Fentress joined the newly formed firm Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), where he continued to work on large-scale public projects. In the late 1970s, KPF sent him to Denver as project designer for a 36-story tower. In 1980, Fentress founded Fentress Architects and later was awarded the opportunity to design the new Denver International Airport (DIA).  DIA, Incheon International Airport in Seoul, Korea, and numerous museums, convention centers, and other civic buildings have earned the firm more than 350 awards for innovation and design excellence. In 2004, Fentress opened an office in Washington, D.C. Today, he lectures widely and has served as a visiting critic at colleges and universities throughout the world.

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