Clinton Sheerr Award for Excellence in New Hampshire Architecture

About the Clinton Sheerr Award
2010 Winner: John W. Merkle AIA
Past Winners
Call for Entries
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About the Clinton Sheerr Award
This Award honors and promotes New Hampshire architects and architecture that exemplify excellence in design at the highest level.

Clinton Sheerr AIA, was a well-known New Hampshire architect who died in 1997, and whose uncommon love for the profession and the state is memorialized through this honor award. Sheerr was responsible for designing numerous award-winning New Hampshire buildings, notably the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and St. Paul's Church, and was active in professional and community organizations.

Deirdre Sheerr-Gross AIA created the fund for the award in honor of Clint, and it is supported by donations in his memory. The funds are held by the NH Charitable Foundation.

Sheerr exemplified the spirit of great passion for beauty and design, a dedication to the community, and the tenacity to follow one's tasks and dreams. This award honors other similarly outstanding architects in the state who carry on the tradition of deep love and dedication for the State, its architecture and environment.

2010 Winner: John W. Merkle AIA
The 2010 winner of the Clinton Sheerr Award for Excellence in New Hampshire Architecture is John W. Merkle AIA, of TMS Architects in Portsmouth, NH. As an architect with a solidly rooted interest in preservation, John has been key to saving numerous historical structures and has given major amounts of time to the support of preservation and other architectural efforts throughout the state of New Hampshire.

In 1984 John co-founded TMS Architects and in the years since has carved out a niche in the field of historical preservation, committing himself and his firm to saving and restoring some of New England’s most significant historical landmarks. His work has included the restoration of The Wentworth By The Sea Hotel, New Castle, NH; The Music Hall and the Portsmouth Discovery Center in Portsmouth; the American Independence Museum, Exeter, NH; and the Bridges House, the New Hampshire Governor’s residence in Concord, to name a few.

John’s history of volunteerism is legendary. Always enthusiastic and willing to help, he has assisted restoration projects and various preservation groups from all over the state and the region and has made additional significant contributions to the field by his participation in numerous non-profit organizations. He has served on the board of directors and as president of AIA New Hampshire, AIA New England, and the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance. He was chair of Exeter’s Historic Commission, and is currently on the Board of Directors for the Castle Preservation Society, as well as an IDP Sponsor of NCARB.

Over the years John has also mentored many young professionals and has been generous in his time with students. At TMS he has empowered his employees, helping to create dynamics in which younger architects and interns are encouraged to flourish and learn.

Deeply concerned that his passion for historic preservation not end, John is working closely with members of his firm to imbue a sense of the value of our New England heritage that he has worked to protect for so long.

Call for Entries

The Award will be given to an individual primarily domiciled for the past five years in New Hampshire.
The award will consist of a cash prize of $1000 and an accompanying certificate and will be announced at the Annual AIANH Awards banquet.
Applicants should submit a one-page (maximum) nominating letter, and may append back-up materials. It is anticipated that the applicants and their work will be reasonably well-known already to the NH architectural community. Materials submitted may be used in the promotion of the award.
You may self-nominate or nominate another.
Send nomination letters to the AIANH office, PO Box 398, 310 Marlboro St., Keene, NH.
Deadline for submissions is December 1.

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