Gaines Hall, an associate dean emeritus in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, received the 2017 Gold Medal Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects Illinois Council. The Gold Medal Honor Award is the organization’s highest honor, recognizing exemplary contributions to the discipline and profession of architecture.
Hall joined the U. of I. architecture faculty in 2008 and was named associate dean in the College of Fine and Applied Arts in 2011. He retired in summer 2017.
Hall received the Gold Medal Honor Award on Nov. 3 at the B. Harley Bradley House in Kankakee, Illinois, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1900. Hall led the restoration of the house after he and his wife, Sharon, acquired it in 2005.
Hall graduated from Auburn University with an architecture degree in 1961. He worked as an architect in firms in Alabama, St. Louis and Chicago. He served as vice president and managing principal of Kirkegaard Associates in Chicago for 21 years, until his retirement from practice. Hall worked on numerous design projects for churches and performing arts centers, and as a consultant on architectural acoustics.
Hall has been a member of the American Institute of Architects since 1968 and has served in various leadership roles, including as national vice president.
