January 28, 2008

The Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati gives the Apple Award each year to an individual or entity who exemplifies the foundation's mission. The 2008 honoree is Arn Bortz.

A partner in Towne Properties, Bortz pioneered new construction and adaptive reuse projects for downtown living, He will receive the prestigious Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Apple Award at a banquet on May 7 at the Hilton Netherland Plaza.

Arn's brother, Neil Bortz, a founder of Towne, received the Apple Award in 1998. Past honorees have included architects, developers, architecture patrons, and architectural photographers. Honorees are selected because each has contributed to the improvement of the built environment of Greater Cincinnati or increased awareness of its significant historic and contemporary buildings, landscapes, and urban places.

Bortz is a distinguished business and civic leader. He was a Cincinnati City Councilperson for nearly a decade, serving as Mayor in 1983-84. He led the Towne initiative for residential, mixed-use projects that sparked the downtown living movement in Cincinnati. Beginning in the Garfield Park neighborhood, Towne constructed the nationally acclaimed Gramercy on Garfield (1992) and Greenwich on the Park (1996), and continued with the adaptive reuse of Groton Lofts (1997) and the Lofts at Shillto Place (1999). Arn Bortz's dedication to urban living is evident in his more recent residential projects, which include Adams Landing and Roebling Row.

Since 2004, the Architectural Foundation has given the award at a gala dinner held in the Hall of Mirrors at the architecturally significant Netherland Plaza hotel. The Apple Award Gala, which is held each May, has become a major benefit for the education and outreach programs of the foundation. Mark McKillip is chair of the event. Christine Schoonover is president of the foundation.

FAST FACTS -Apple Award Gala 2008

WHERE: Hall of Mirrors, Netherland Plaza Hotel
WHEN: Wednesday, May 7, 6:30 p.m.
HOW to RESERVE: Admission: $250 per person patron; $2,500 patron table. (Sponsorships available.) Reservations: Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati. Send check or card number information to AFC, 2449 Fairview Ave., Cincinnati OH 45219. Select: Steak, Salmon, or Vegetarian. Reserve by March 14 for patron listing on the invitation. Information: PainterAFC@aol.com or (513) 421-4469.