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THE CENTER FOR ARCHITECTURE INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 223047700 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A20 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Medium ($1M-$10M) · centerforarchitecture.org
revenue
$2.3M
expenses
$2.4M
net assets
$2.1M
employees
23
volunteers
37
program ratio
78%
mission · from form 990

TO PROMOTE APPR'N OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN THROUGH EDU. & PUB. PROGRAMS & EXHIBITIONS.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Center for Architecture promotes public appreciation of architecture and design through educational programs, public exhibitions, and community events. Based in New York City, it serves students, educators, and the general public with initiatives focused on design literacy, career exploration, and sustainability. The organization operates as a cultural hub for architectural discourse and hosts annual events such as Archtober and the Common Bond gala.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Archtober
Annual month-long festival celebrating architecture and design in New York City, featuring exhibitions and public events
Center for Architecture Lab
Multi-month residency program for interdisciplinary teams to develop innovative projects in architecture and design
Discover Architecture Career Exploration
Annual program connecting high school students with NYC architecture firms for career exposure and hands-on learning
Guess-A-Sketch
Annual sketch-based fundraising event engaging architects and young professionals in support of design education
Learning By Design:NY
K-12 educational program partnering with New York City schools to teach design thinking and architecture, reaching students across 25 schools
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 2 activities
    • Design major cultural and public institution spaces
      Designs significant public and cultural spaces including the 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the inaugural Costume Art exhibition, the ground-level concourse renovation at the Met, new permanent galleries for the Arts of Africa at the Brooklyn Museum (opening 2027), MoMA Design Store, artist studios, and other institutional projects.
    • Host public exhibitions on architecture and design
      Hosts architecture and design exhibitions across three gallery floors at the Center for Architecture, including curated photographic works, historical projects (e.g., Gerrit Rietveld houses), and thematic explorations such as "Wealth of Sobriety." These exhibitions are open to the public and often tied to publications or research.
  • Architecture and Design Public Education Programs 2 activities
    • Organize public lectures, panel discussions, and dialogue series
      Hosts recurring public events including the Cocktails & Conversation series, book talks (e.g., with Geoff Manaugh and John Hill), panel discussions on topics like housing policy ("Block by Block"), disability in architecture, and social justice in architectural education. Events engage architects, critics, historians, and activists.
    • Produce and host Archtober festival
      Organizes Archtober, an annual month-long festival featuring architecture-related activities, programs, and exhibitions across New York City’s five boroughs, engaging the public with the built environment.
  • Community Foundation & United Way Support 1 activity
    • Administer scholarships and grants for students and professionals
      Funds academic scholarships and professional development through grant programs, awarding $77,000 to 17 students and $155,000 total to students and early- and mid-career professionals. Raises funds via events like the Annual Golf Classic.
  • Guided Historic Site Tours 1 activity
    • Conduct architecture tours for diverse audiences
      Offers a wide variety of guided architecture tours for all audiences, including educational tours of exhibitions such as Zero Waste Design, and citywide tours across New York City and beyond.
  • Museum-Based Educational Outreach 1 activity
    • Deliver educational programs for K-12 students and schools
      Offers a K-12 summer educational program with over 300 students participating annually, provides free online architecture-themed design activities for children, and distributes curriculum guides and other educational materials. Programs are delivered both at the Center and in schools and community sites across the New York metropolitan area.
  • Neighborhood Revitalization Initiatives 1 activity
    • Lead community-informed public housing design initiatives
      Engages in an ongoing multiyear partnership with NYCHA since 2014, conducting inclusive community design processes to inform improvements to public housing and advance design excellence in renovations across all five boroughs of New York City.
  • Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 1 activity
    • Run residency programs to elevate underrepresented voices
      Operates the multi-month Center for Architecture Lab residency program, selecting teams annually (e.g., 2026 cohort) to develop content around themes like “Repair – Democracy and Urban Spaces.” The program supports emerging and underrepresented voices in architecture and design with full authorship over dedicated platforms.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2.32M
Contributions & grants$1.53M66%
Program service revenue$650K28%
Investment income$132K6%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$2.41M
Program expenses78%
Admin / overhead10%
Fundraising12%
Salaries & benefits$1.43M
Grants paid out$79K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$2.28M
Cash$105K
Investments$1.31M
Liabilities$140K
Net assets$2.14M
Liquid reserves7.0 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -19.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 5
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
JESSE LAZAAR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 14 $248K
SUSAN MECS MANAGING DIRECTOR, AIA NEW YORK CHAPTER 14 $155K
MARY DE ROSA DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS 20 $130K
LISA MAZZOLA DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION 20 $126K
MEGHAN EDWARDS DIR. OF DIGITAL CONTENT 20 $122K
board members · 14
  • ALEXANDER LAMIS — TREASURER
  • ALLISON TOMLINSON — TRUSTEE
  • ANNIE TIRSCHWELL — TRUSTEE
  • BENJAMIN GILMARTIN — PRESIDENT-ELECT
  • DAVID PISCUSKAS — TRUSTEE
  • GREGORY SWITZER — PRESIDENT
  • JENNIFER SAGE — BOARD CHAIR
  • JOSEPH TORTORELLA — TRUSTEE
  • KATHERINE CHIA — TRUSTEE
  • KIM YAO — SECRETARY
  • MARC NORMAN — TRUSTEE
  • MARQUISE STILLWELL — TRUSTEE
  • PETER ROBINSON — VICE CHAIR
  • THOMAS KRIZMANIC — TRUSTEE
relationships · 24

Who they work with

  • AIA New York Network — Operates jointly with the Center for Architecture under shared leadership.
  • AIA New York Partner — Co-hosted a conversation on the housing plan with its Executive Director participating
  • AIA New York Partner — Collaborates with the Center for Architecture on scholarship programs, awards, and events.
  • AIANY Oculus Committee Partner — Collaborates on programming related to architectural publications and discourse, as evidenced by the co-sponsorship or promotion of the "Oculus Quick Take" series.
  • American Institute of Architects New York (AIANY) Partner — Co-organized the Oculus Book Talk event with the AIANY Oculus Committee.
  • Archtober Network — Organizes Archtober, New York City's annual festival of architecture.
  • Arjan Bronkhorst Partner — Collaborates as co-curator and photographer for the 'Gerrit Rietveld: Wealth of Sobriety' exhibition.
  • Barry Bergdoll Partner — Co-curates the 'Gerrit Rietveld: Wealth of Sobriety' exhibition with Arjan Bronkhorst.
  • Brooklyn Museum Partner — Designing new permanent galleries for the Arts of Africa collection, set to open in fall 2027.
  • Changing Lanes Partner — Co-presents a film screening and discussion event focused on urban street redesign and transportation equity.
  • Con Edison Funder — Provides grant funding in support of K-12 educational programs in green architecture.
  • David W. Dunlap Partner — Co-participant in a Cocktails & Conversation program discussing architecture and urban design.
  • FIGMENT Partner — Collaborated with FIGMENT to host an interview discussing its first book and mission.
  • Friends Making Work Partner — Collaborates with the collective Friends Making Work (Christine Giorgio, Amelyn Ng, and Gabriel Vergara) on the project DEPAVE: An Ecological Repair of the Ground as part of the 2026 Center for Architecture Lab residency.
  • Geoff Manaugh Partner — Collaborated with Geoff Manaugh for an Oculus Book Talk at the Center for Architecture.
  • Head Hi Partner — Collaborated on “Head Hi in the City,” a pop-up bookstore event during Archtober.
  • Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Funder — Selected the Center for Architecture to receive support through the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative grant program.
  • Ian Sullivan Partner — Provides graphic design for the 'Gerrit Rietveld: Wealth of Sobriety' exhibition.
  • Lutron Partner — Hosted the Center for Architecture’s Architectural Design Studio at its New York Residential Experience showroom.
  • Mamdani Administration Government — Collaborated on hosting a conversation about the city's housing plan
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art Partner — Designed the Condé M. Nast Galleries and inaugural exhibition, and is re-envisioning the ground-level public concourse including new dining, retail, and entrance facilities.
  • New York Building Foundation Funder — Provided $20,000 in funding to support education programs at the Center for Architecture.
  • New York City Housing Authority Partner — Collaborates on inclusive community design initiatives to inform public housing improvements and advance design excellence in renovations across all five boroughs.
  • WSDIA Partner — Partners with WSDIA for graphic design services for the 2026 Center for Architecture Lab exhibition.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Amplification of Underrepresented Voices through Institutional Authorship
    methodology: residency_with_authorship
    By granting emerging and underrepresented voices full authorship over institutional platforms through residencies, we advance equity and innovation in architecture because self-directed content creation enables marginalized perspectives to reshape mainstream design discourse.
  • Community-Informed and Justice-Oriented Design Education
    methodology: community_informed_design
    By grounding architectural education and practice in community inclusion, diversity, and social justice, we transform architecture into a civic practice because participatory frameworks ensure design responds to real community needs and challenges systemic inequities.
  • Exhibition-Based Public Education
    methodology: exhibition_based_education
    By using exhibitions as a primary medium for public engagement, we increase public appreciation and understanding of architecture and design because visual and curated narratives make complex design concepts accessible and compelling to broad audiences.
  • Public Engagement through Critical Dialogue and Storytelling
    methodology: public_dialogue_and_storytelling
    By facilitating public dialogue and using storytelling to challenge dominant urban design paradigms, we shift public and professional understanding of space because narrative-based engagement fosters empathy and critical reflection on issues like car dependency and spatial justice.