For Immediate Release

December 2008  

Doo Wop Guidebook receives honor award by Pennsylvania AIA

The “How to Doo Wop Handbook” produced by Wildwood’s Doo Wop Preservation League won an Honor Award from the Pennsylvania AIA (American Institute of Architects) for Architectural Excellence at the Annual Awards ceremony in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on November 18. This is the second award the Handbook has received. The Handbook won a Philadelphia AIA award in 2007.

According to guest juror Greg Papay of Lake / Flato Architects in San Antonio, Texas, “The jury was taken with the depth and rigor by which the guidelines were applied to this fanciful style called Doo Wop. The Guidelines themselves take on the character of the architecture. There was a conveyance of what the architecture should be even through the typography and the illustrations. We commend this project for its timeliness. We are at risk of losing things from the 1950’s and 1960’s and the guidelines bring great legitimacy to the period.”

The book was co-authored by DWPL board members; Anthony Bracali, AIA, Michael Lorin Hirsch, and Richard Stokes, AIA. The book was edited and designed by Jack Wright of Exit Zero Publishing in Cape May. Mr. Bracali is a principal at Friday Architects / Planners Inc. in Philadelphia, PA. Mr. Hirsch is a design architect/urban planner at Arquitectonica International Corp. in New York City. Richard Stokes, AIA is principal of Stokes Architecture in Philadelphia, PA.

The Handbook is used by developers to produce projects that compliment the traditions of Doo Wop architecture from the 1950’s and 1960’s in Wildwood. The Doo Be Do influence can be seen in our futuristic Acme market, the retro cool Marvis Diner, and the playful beach balls at Rio Grande Avenue. The book was partially funded with a grant from The Byrne Fund for the Wildwoods, Inc. The Handbook can be purchased on the Doo Wop Preservation League’s website; www.doowopusa.org/shop/ in the Online Store.