Wendy Altschul Rolland, Architect (in memoriam)
Statement: Wendy and I met in 1952 at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she was pursuing a graduate degree in architecture after receiving a degree in mathematics from Wellesley College. I was pursuing a degree in landscape architecture thanks to Cornelia, who encouraged me to explore the intersection of horticulture and design. Years later, Wendy and Cornelia met and became friends, and Wendy would be thrilled to have Cornelia’s achievements recognized and honored through this prize named in her honor.
After graduating in 1956, Wendy worked for several notable architects and firms, including Louis Kahn, Vincent Kling, and Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson in Philadelphia, as well as William Tabler in New York, and John Carl Warnecke in San Francisco. She then entered private practice in Rye, New York, in 1962.
Wendy had a rarified and critical eye for design, a passion for the visual arts, and a creative mind. She was an avid photographer, served the community as a member and chair of the Rye Board of Architectural Review, and was a lifelong champion of good design.
Wendy was an unwavering advocate for architecture and an enduring proponent of highlighting women’s leadership in the field of design. She provided valuable critiques and challenged collaborators, friends, and family to be better through her own design sensibility and astute lens.
Wendy was born in 1930 in Norfolk, Virginia, to Sylvan and Ethel Altschul. She and I shared a 60-year marriage, raised three children (David, an architect; Seth, a furniture maker; and Janna, an environmental facilitator), and enjoyed collaboration until her passing in 2016.
—Peter G. Rolland, FASLA, FAAR, NA