Frances Halsband
Frances Halsband FAIA (born October 30, 1943, in New York City) is an American architect and educator. She is a founder, with Robert Kliment, of Kliment Halsband Architects, a New York City design firm widely recognized for preservation, adaptive reuse and master planning projects. Significant works include The Brown University Framework for Physical Planning, Long Island Railroad Entrance at 34 Street, Visitor Center at Franklin Roosevelt Presidential Library, Mount Sinai Ambulatory Surgery Facility Kyabirwa Uganda.
Frances Halsband
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- architect
- Education
- Columbia University · Swarthmore College · Columbia Graduate School of Architecture and Planning and Preservation
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Frances Halsband FAIA (born October 30, 1943, in New York City) is an American architect and educator. She is a founder, with Robert Kliment, of Kliment Halsband Architects, a New York City design firm widely recognized for preservation, adaptive reuse and master planning projects. Significant works include The Brown University Framework for Physical Planning, Long Island Railroad Entrance at 34 Street, Visitor Center at Franklin Roosevelt Presidential Library, Mount Sinai Ambulatory Surgery Facility Kyabirwa Uganda.
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Frances Halsband (born 1943) is an architect, of American nationality. The architect was born in New York City. Frances Halsband was educated at Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University and Swarthmore College.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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In this article
Personal life and education
Personal life and education
The firm received the AIA Firm Award in 1997 and the New York AIA Medal of Honor in 1998. From 1991 to 1994 Halsband was dean of the School of Architecture at Pratt Institute, and she has taught at Harvard University, Columbia University, Rice University, University of Pennsylvania, University of California, Berkeley and other institutions. She was the first woman president of AIA New York and The Architectural League of New York. She is a former commissioner of the New York City Landmarks Commission. In 2018 Halsband lead a successful effort to amend the AIA Code of Ethics to prohibit harassment or discrimination and commit to fostering a professional environment of mutual respect and equity. In recognition of this effort she was named one of Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 25 Newsmakers. In 2019 she received an Honorary Doctor of Design from NewSchool of Architecture and Design.
She received her B.A. at Swarthmore College in 1965 and a master's degree from Columbia University in 1968. She has served on juries for design awards, chaired the 1999 American Institute of Architects Committee on Design, and served as AIA New York's first woman president in 1991. Halsband and Kliment were married in 1971 in Woodstock New York. Their son, Alexander Halsband Kliment was born in 1979. They made their home in New York City and Woodstock New York. Kliment retired from KHA in 2013, and died in 2017. Halsband's interest in architecture was sparked by her grandmother and her mother, who were both involved in the field of art. She originally attended Swarthmore college as an English major, though she took an interest in hanging out at Penn with architecture students. She decided to switch to an art history major because of this to minimize the time she had to spend in class at Swarthmore. The time she spent at Swarthmore College made her decide to attend Columbia University for architecture classes where she made connections with important people. Once she finished her studies at Columbia, she began her work at Mitchell Giugola Architects, where she worked under Robert Kliment. After he had been her boss for a few years, they decided to start their firm together in 1972.
Selected projects
Selected projects
This selection is specific to projects for which Halsband has been principally responsible • Arcadia University Commons, Glenside, Pennsylvania (2012) • Arcadia University Landman Library, Glenside, Pennsylvania (2003) • Avalon Morningside at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, New York (2008) • Brown University Strategic Framework for Physical Planning, Providence, Rhode Island (2003/2009) • Dartmouth College Roth Center for Jewish Life, Hanover, New Hampshire (1998) • Friends Seminary, New York, New York (2019) • Johns Hopkins University Gilman Hall, Baltimore, Maryland (2010) • Long Island Railroad Entrance at Pennsylvania Station, New York, New York (1994) • Mount Sinai Ambulatory Surgery Facility Kyabirwa Uganda, Africa (2019) • University of Chicago Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society, Chicago, Illinois (2015) • University of Massachusetts Amherst South College, Amherst, Massachusetts (2017) • Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center, Hyde Park, New York (2004) • Zen Mountain Monastery Sangha House, Mt. Tremper, New York (2013)
Civic and professional boards
Civic and professional boards
• AIA College of Fellows executive committee – 2019–present • Harvard University, Design Review Panel – 2005–2009 • Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, board of directors, (president 2008–2013) – 2003–present • Brown University, architect advisor, board of trustees – 2002–2013 • AIA Committee on Design, chair 1999 • U.S. Department of State Office of Foreign Buildings Operations Architectural Advisory Board – 1998–2003 • Smith College, architect advisor to the board of trustees – 1998–2003 • U.S. General Services Administration National Register of Peer Professionals – 1998–2010 • ACSA, northeast regional director – 1993–1995 • Federal Reserve Bank Architectural Review Panel – 1993–2009 • AIA New York Chapter, president – 1992 • AIA New York Chapter Women in Architecture Leadership Network founder – 1991 • New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, commissioner – 1984–1987 • New York State Council on the Arts, Architecture Panel – 1980–1983 • The Architectural League of New York, (president 1985–1989) - 1975–present Academic appointments • University of Maryland, Kea Visiting Distinguished Professor – 2009 • University of Cincinnati, visiting professor, Neihoff Studio – 2002 • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Plym Professor – 2001 • Ball State University, Emens Distinguished Professor – 1998–1999 • University of California Berkeley, Howard A. Friedman Visiting Professor – 1997 • Pratt Institute School of Architecture, dean – 1991–1994 • Columbia University, visiting critic in design – 1987 • University of Pennsylvania, visiting critic in design – 1981 • Harvard University, visiting critic in design – 1980 • University of Virginia, visiting critic in design – 1979 • Rice University, visiting critic in design – 1979 • North Carolina State University, visiting critic in design – 1978 • Columbia University, visiting critic in design – 1975–1978
New York University Advanced Research Institutes
New York University Advanced Research Institutes
The New York University Advanced Research Institutes offers "open loft floors provide a range of innovative collaborative environments for research institutes, shared university classrooms, and a conference center." The offices are also enclosed by glass, which offer both a manner of interaction and privacy. The building offers several open work spaces and small offices that can be used as study rooms, classrooms, or workshops.
SUNY College of Optometry Lobby & Center for Student Life & Learning
SUNY College of Optometry Lobby & Center for Student Life & Learning
The College of Optometry is made up of a 10,517 square foot lobby and a 14,985 square foot student center, which is filled with light colors and bright non-glare lighting. The space is meant to be welcoming and encourage student interaction with patients.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1943
Frances Halsband was born on 30 October 1943.
Professional practice
• Kliment Halsband Architects, New York, New York – 2008–present • R.M. Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects, New York, New York – 1978–2008 • R.M. Kliment Architect, New York, New York – 1972–1977 • Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, New York, New York -1968–1972
Published writings
• “Not a Park.” In Maintaining: Public Works in the Next New York. New York, New York: Urban Design Forum, 2019. • “A Different Kind of Place,” Faith & Form: The Interfaith Journal on Religion, Art, and Architecture, Vol. 52, No. 1, 2019 • “Reverence and Reconstruction,” Faith & Form: The Interfaith Journal on Religion, Art, and Architecture, Vol. 50, No. 2, 2017 • “Living and Learning: The Campus Redefined,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 28, 2006 • “Charles Klauder’s Brilliant Invisible Hand.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 25, 2005 • “Campuses in Place” In Places Journal: Considering the Place of Campus, Vol. 17, Issue 1, Winter 2005 • "Introduction to The Inhabited Landscape: An Exhibition,” Places Journal, Volume 4/4, 1988
Illustrations
• Halsband, Frances (Illustrator), Publishing: a writer's memoir, by Gail Godwin, Bloomsbury, 2015 • Halsband, Frances (Illustrator), “Ulster County Ghosts,” by Gail Godwin, Kingston: The IBM Years, The Friends of Historic Kingston/Black Dome Press, Delmar New York, 2014 • Halsband, Frances, (Illustrator), Evenings at Five, by Gail Godwin, Ballantine Books, 2003.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Frances Halsband”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3080819: Frances Halsband
General reference · Wikidata
Honors
• Honorary Doctor of Design, NewSchool of Architecture and Design – 2019 • Engineering News Record 2018 Top 25 Newsmaker – 2019 • AIA Firm Award, R.M. Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects – 1998 • AIA New York Medal of Honor, R.M. Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects – 1997 • Fellow of the American Institute of Architects – 1986 • Chancellor of the AIA College of Fellows - 2023
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Frances Halsband: Kea Distinguished Professor in the Architecture program University of Maryland. University of Maryland. Spring 2009.
- 2.Woods, Lynn. Pioneering architect Frances Halsband got her start on Woodstock's Village Green. Hudson Valley One. 23 January 2015.
- 3.Brown Master Plan Kliment Halsband Architects. 30 March 2006.
- 4.POSTINGS: For the Dashing Commuter. The New York Times. 8 January 1995.
- 5.Hutton, Ann. FDRs Hyde Park Hive on the Hudson. Hudson Valley One. 22 May 2015.
- 6.Pintos, Paula. Mount Sinai Kyabirwa Surgical Facility Kliment Halsband Architects. ArchDaily. December 2019.
- 7.AIANY 2020 Design Awards Winners. AIANY. January 2020.
- 8.Crosbie, Michael J. New York Architects Kliment Halsband Design A Surgery Clinic in Kyabirwa Uganda. CommonEdge. 25 November 2019.
- 9.Architecture Firm Award Winners. Wikipedia.
- 10.Architecture Firm Award. AIANY.
- 11.Architecture Dean Named. The New York Times. 15 August 1991.
- 12.Wiseman, Carter. A Dean of the Real. New York Magazine. 2 December 1991.
- 13.Pratt Mistresses of Architecture: Frances Halsband. Pratt Mistresses of Pratt. March 2020.
- 14.Leadership Breakfast with Frances Halsband. AIANY Calendar. 8 February 2019.
- 15.Gamolina, Julia. Power to Move Forward: Frances Halsband on Giving Back, Staying in Touch, and Ethical Behavior. Madame Architect. 11 March 2020.
- 16.Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation: Frances Halsband. Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation.
- 17.Hoechstetter, Marissa. Fellowship is Leadership: Fighting Sexual Harassment in Architecture. Ms. Magazine. 2 November 2018.
- 18.AIA Code of Ethics. AIA.
- 19.Post, Nadine M. Lighting a Fire Under the AIA in a Crusade Against All Types of Workplace Abuse. Engineering News Record. 10 January 2019.
- 20.Budds, Diana. Inside the AIA's efforts to address #MeToo. Curbed. 5 August 2019.
- 21.Network AIA: Executive Committee. Network AIA.
- 22."Women in Architecture" at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
- 23.Lorenz, Clare, Women in Architecture: a contemporary perspective, Rizzoli, New York, 1990 p. 44
- 24.AIA Profile.
- 25.AIANY Leads Charge to Amend AIA Code of Ethics — AIA New York
- 26.Martin, Olivia. Robert Kliment, cofounder of Kliment Halsband Architects, has passed. The Architect's Newspaper. 9 January 2017.
- 27.Studio History. Kliment Halsband Architects.
- 28.Cropper, Purnell. Architect Includes Geothermal Wells, Walking Bridge in Commons Design. Arcadia University News. 23 April 2010.
- 29.Eight Beautiful Buildings Win 2005 Library Awards. AIArchitects. April 2005.
- 30.Horsley, Carter. Avalon Morningside Park, 1 Morningside Drive. City Realty.
- 31.Slating, Peter. SCOOP. Oculus. 56. 3. September 1993.
- 32.Architecture Awards. Randall T Mudge and Associates.
- 33.Pintos, Paula. Friends Seminary / Kliment Halsband Architects. ArchDaily. March 2020.
- 34.Lentz, Linda C. Friends Seminary by Kliment Halsband Architects. Architectural Record. February 2020.
- 35.Seward, Aaron. Gilman Hall at Johns Hopkins University. The Architect's Newspaper. 27 October 2010.
- 36.University of Chicago Neubauer Collegium. AIA Chicago. 2015.
- 37.South College. University of Massachusetts Amherst.
- 38.Halsband, Frances. A Different Kind of Place. Faith and Form. 52.
- 39.Architecture Firm Award. Wikipedia.
- 40.R.M. Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects. AIA New York Chapter Awards History.
- 41.Chapter Recognition. AIANY.
- 42.AIA College of Fellows Former Chancellors Directory 2023. Issuu. 2017-02-21.
- 43.Frances Halsband, FAIA, Inaugurated as Chancellor for the College of Fellows of The American Institute of Architects AIA Professional. content.aia.org.
- 44.Halsband, Frances. College of Fellows Leadership. American Institute of Architects.
- 45.Castellana, John. Welcome Frances Halsband, FAIA!. The AIA College of Fellows Newsletter. 17. 13 August 2019.
- 46.About Byrdcliffe. Woodstock Guild.
- 47.Boucher, Norman. Blocking Out The Future. Brown Alumni Magazine. June 2004.
- 48.Livingston, Heather. Face of the AIA: Frances Halsband, FAIA. The News of America's Community of Architects. 2 February 2007.
- 49.Modernism in America Awards 2017 Winners. DOCOMOMO. 6 October 2017.
- 50.United States, General Services Administration. Dan M. Russell, Jr. United States Courthouse : Gulfport, Mississippi. U.S. General Services Administration, Public Buildings Service, Office of the Chief Architect, Center for Design Excellence and the Arts. 30. 2005.
- 51.AIA New York leads the charge to amend AIA Code of Ethics. New York Real Estate Journal. 6 November 2018.
- 52.Board of Directors. The Architectural League of New York.
- 53.Kea Professorship. University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. 2009.
- 54.Bach, John. The Power of Place: Measuring the human impact of UC's architectural renaissance. University of Cincinnati Magazine. November 2007.
- 55.Illinois, Architecture College of Fine & Applied Arts. Plym Distinguished Professors. University of Illinois.
- 56.Sturges, Michelle. The Illinois School of Architecture Appoints Suchi Reddy as the 2019 Plym Distinguished Visiting Professor. 7 August 2019.
- 57.A Time to Reflect. ReCap: College of Architecture and Planning. 20.
- 58.Friedman Visiting Professorship. UC Berkeley.
- 59.Images Publishing. The Master Architect Series: R.M Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects. 2008. 978-1-86470-1302.
- 60.Cocktails and Conversations Frances Halsband and Michael Crosbie. Museum Without Walls. 19 September 2014.
- 61.Urban Design Forum. Book Launch Maintaining: Public Works in the Next New York. 8 July 2019.
- 62.Halsband, Frances. A Different Kind of Place. Faith and Form: The Interfaith Journal on Religion, Art, and Architecture. 52. 2019.
- 63.Halsband, Frances. Reverence and Reconstruction. Faith and Form the Interfaith Journal on Religion, Art, and Architecture. 50.
- 64.Halsband, Frances. Living and Learning: the Campus Redefined. The Chronicle of Higher Education. 28 April 2006.
- 65.Halsband, Frances. Charles Klauder's Brilliant Invisible Hand. The Chronicle of Higher Education. 25 March 2005.
- 66.Halsband, Frances. Campuses in Place. Places Journal. 17. Winter 2005.
- 67.Halsband, Frances. Introduction to The Inhabited Landscape: An Exhibition. Places Journal. 4. 1988.
- 68.Godwin, Gail. Publishing: a writer's memoir. 2016. 907965981.
- 69.Godwin, Gail. Ulster County Ghosts. 2014. 878837609.
- 70.Godwin, Gail. Evenings at Five. 2003. 216654863.
- 71.Kliment Halsband Architects New York University Advanced Research Institutes.
- 72.Kliment Halsband Architects SUNY College of Optometry Lobby & Center for Student Life & Learning.
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Formation and teaching. Halsband studied at Columbia University, Swarthmore College and Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Recorded as having studied at Columbia University, Swarthmore College and Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
Activity and practice
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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