Sue Ann Pemberton, FAIA, named an Outstanding Alumna by Texas A&M College of Architecture

(November 13, 2019) — Sue Ann Pemberton, FAIA, an assistant professor of practice in the UTSA College of Architecture, Construction and Planning and principal of Mainstreet Architects, has been named an Outstanding Alumna by the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University. She is one of six graduates who have distinguished themselves as leaders and humanitarians in their respective fields, and will be honored at a November 14, 2019 banquet at Texas A&M. The banquet is the opening event of a three-day celebration of the college’s 50th Anniversary. The 2019 Outstanding Alumni were nominated by former students and selected for their outstanding achievements by a college committee. Less than one percent of the college’s 16,000-plus former students have been recognized as Outstanding Alumni, the highest honor bestowed by the college to its graduates.

A leading advocate and steward of historic places in the Alamo City, Pemberton is the first architect to lead the San Antonio Conservation Society. A national leader in historic preservation education and practice, she is recognized for meticulous documentation of numerous historic structures such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West. She leads the Historic American Building Survey program and her students at UTSA have documented Taliesin West for the past six summers, garnering the Peterson Prize. At UTSA, she connects academia and the community as the head of the Center for Architectural Engagement, while her research and teaching include design, materials investigation and technology, and historic preservation.

The work of Mainstreet Architects includes preservation and planning publications, documentation of historic structures, and traditional architecture services. Pemberton’s work has received recognition from Preservation Texas, the San Antonio Conservation Society, and International Making Cities Livable. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Association for Preservation Technology International (APTI), and the Texas A&M College of Architecture’s Center for Heritage Conservation. Her service includes more than a decade of national leadership in the AIA, the APTI, and the National Council for Preservation Education.

Pemberton is immersed in the inner city and the preservation of San Antonio and was appointed by the Mayor of San Antonio to serve as Tri-Chair of the Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee and to the Board of Directors of Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation. She received the Award for Outstanding Educational Contributions in Honor of Edward J. Romieniec in 2009; the UTSA President’s Distinguished Achievement Award, Excellence in Community Engagement in 2017; was elevated to the College of Fellows of the AIA in 2010; and the College of Fellows of the Association for Preservation Technology in 2019. Pemberton holds a Master of Architecture Degree and Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University.

Read more about Texas A&M College of Architecture’s 2019 Outstanding Alumni on their website.