Awards

The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County, Inc. is a non-profit institution established in 1976 to provide leadership, education, and advocacy to protect and revitalize the cherished properties of the community. For more than thirty years, the Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County has presented the Griffin Awards for outstanding contributions to historic preservation.

Public Interest Projects, Inc. has been honored to receive Griffin awards for the following projects:

Carolina Apartments 1994
134-138 Biltmore Avenue 1995 (Turnbilt Apartments)
Asheville Hotel 1998
123 Biltmore Avenue 2002 (The Ark)
43 Haywood and 84 Walnut Street 2002 (Old Penney’s Building)
101 Biltmore Avenue 2004 (The Orange Peel)

The Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina, Inc. presents the Gertrude S. Carraway Awards of Merit to individuals and organizations that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to promoting historic preservation. Public Interest Projects, Inc. was recognized for its contributions to preservation on September 14, 2002.

The International Downtown Association is a world leader and champion for vital and livable urban centers. Through its network of committed individuals, its rich body of knowledge, and its unique capacity to nurture community-building partnerships, IDA is a guiding force in creating healthy and dynamic centers that anchor the well being of towns, cities and regions throughout the world.

The International Downtown Association (IDA) recognizes the best that downtown revitalization and management has to offer and the IDA Downtown Achievement Awards annually celebrate and communicate the most successful and innovative efforts in worldwide downtown development. In 1999, Public Interest Projects, Inc. received the Special Achievement Award for Placemaking.

Smart Growth Partners of Western North Carolina is a non-profit organization dedicated to achieving livable, healthy and economically robust communities through compact, orderly development and redevelopment. The organization awarded its First Annual Smart Growth Award to Public Interest Projects for Revitalization of Downtown Asheville in 2001.

The International Making Cities Livable Council is an interdisciplinary, international network of individuals and cities dedicated to making our cities and communities more livable. The purpose of the Making Cities Livable movement is to enhance the well-being of inhabitants of cities and towns, strengthen community, improve social and physical health, and increase civic engagement by reshaping the built environment of our cities, suburbs and towns. To be vibrant these public places must exist within a truly urban fabric, and for this reason the Making Cities Livable movement promotes True Urbanism, the time-tested principles of appropriate human scale architecture, mixed use shop/houses, and a compact urban fabric of blocks, streets and squares, outdoor cafes and restaurants, farmers’ markets and community festivals also enliven the public realm.

The International Making Cities Livable Conference recognized Public Interest Projects, Inc. and founder Julian Price with its 2000 Community Award for Atheir successful efforts to revive the center of Asheville through rehabilitation of historic buildings for mixed and residential use. In restoring the urban fabric, and using socially responsible financing, Public Interest Projects, Inc. has returned a human presence and a flourishing social life to this historic city.