CABE Student Wins Prestigious Architecture Fellowship

For the fifth time in the past seven years, a student in Thomas Jefferson University’s College of Architecture & the Built Environment won the prestigious John Stewardson Memorial Fellowship in Architecture.

Hutten Moyer – a fifth-year architecture student from Orwigsburg, Pa. – learned in early March that a jury of five professionals deemed his entry the best among 41 entries. The competition is open to all seven accredited architecture programs in Pennsylvania.

Entrants were challenged to design a tower atop Mt. South Hawkins, which overlooks a national forest outside Los Angeles, Calif., to serve multiple roles, Moyer explained.

“Recognizing the possibility that the tower may burn down in the event of another forest fire, the design was to anticipate how the site would be used as a memorial to the burned tower and surrounding forest,” he said. “My project drew inspiration from one of the many coniferous trees that line the mountain. A tree, typically full of pine needles, offers refuge to a variety of animals through subtle shade or nested protection. When ravaged by fire, only a charred, disformed column remains.”

“The proposed watchtower interprets this physical transition from a robust structure full of life, to individual charred skeletal members,” he continued. “The linear procession of the structure deliberately flows parallel to the existing trail path. Its triangle form represents an extension of the mountain top.”

According to Andrew Hart, assistant professor of architecture at CABE and Managing Secretary of the Stewardson, Moyer’s submission represented the “best solution and example of architectural education, professional attitude to design, and environmental and social responsibility.”

By winning the 119^th John Stewardson Memorial Fellowship in Architecture, Moyer will receive a $10,000 traveling fellowship which he will use to travel to Japan “for its incredible architecture, beautiful scenery and interesting culture.” He also hopes to travel to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

“Aside from studying the foreign contexts, I’ll be observing how the concept of curiosity within an individual or community influences architecture and the built environment,” Moyer said. “Architecture, and all forms of design that spark a sense of curiosity, is something that has fascinated me all my life. It is part of the reason I chose architecture as a profession: to someday have the opportunity to create something that evokes an individual to want to experience a space.”

Moyer, 25, hopes to work at an architecture firm in Philadelphia after graduation.

“This is an amazing achievement,” said Barbara Klinkhammer, executive dean and professor at the College of Architecture and the Built Environment, who described Moyer as “an exceptionally talented student.”

Previous winners from CABE include Daniel Silberman (2014), Ryan Thompson (2016), Melanie Wheaton (2017) and Austin Dimare (2018). This year, fellow student Drake Schaefer took fourth place, and alumni Andrew Sauers (2019) received honorable mention.

“The competition for the fellowship is unique. It is a prestigious award and one of the oldest such fellowship/competitions,” said Hart, who serves as the fellowship’s chair. “Many names of former fellows are recognizable for their contributions to the profession not just in Pennsylvania, but nationally.”

The John Stewardson Memorial Competition in Architecture was founded after the tragic 1896 death of John Stewardson, a prolific designer and partner in the well-known Philadelphia firm of Cope & Stewardson. After Stewardson’s funeral, fellow architects took a collection, which would ultimately become a fund for a young architect to study architecture abroad.

In addition to Thomas Jefferson University, students, alumni, residents and practitioners with ties to the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Carnegie Mellon University, Penn State University, Temple University and Marywood University are eligible to compete.

“My time at Thomas Jefferson University has taught me a variety of skills and lessons that have proven to be extremely useful in the field,” said Moyer, who will share his travel experience in a guest lecture for students and the school. “My education has offered plenty of opportunities to push the boundaries, leaving me excited for what’s to come in the future.”