10/06/2026
Each year, the Louisiana Architecture Foundation (LAF) honors non-architects whose extraordinary efforts encourage, foster, and promote the understanding and appreciation of Louisiana architecture. The organization recently announced Louisiana preservationist John H. Stubbs as the 2026 Patron of Architecture Award winner. The awards presentation took place on Friday, Oct. 2, at the 2026 AIA Louisiana Design Awards Gala in Gulf Shores, Al.
John has spent over fifty years documenting, restoring, and advocating for our state’s built heritage. After earning degrees at LSU and Columbia University, he built an international career—directing projects in over 90 countries as Vice President of the World Monuments Fund and restoring iconic landmarks like Ellis Island and Grand Central Terminal. Since returning home, Louisiana has been the primary beneficiary of that global authority:
Pioneering Preservation: He created the landmark original survey for Laurel Valley Plantation in Thibodaux, LA and spearheaded restoration efforts across the state, from Godchaux-Reserve in LaPlace, LA to the Graves Homeplace in Columbia, LA.
Empowering Students: As director of Tulane’s Master of Preservation Studies program, his student studios saved the 1855 Carrollton Courthouse in uptown New Orleans, produced sensitive plans for Jackson Square, and established the New Orleans Preservation Timeline.
Relentless Advocacy: He led successful public campaigns to save Edward Durell Stone’s World Trade Center—now the Four Seasons—and championed Poverty Point, where he serves as Honorary Ambassador for Life.
Through four books, landmark symposia, and decades of teaching, no one has done more to teach the world to value Louisiana’s architecture.
