Meet our 2020 Palladio Panel

Eric Inman Daum
Eric Inman Daum established his own practice in 2017 in Andover, Massachusetts. He currently sits on the Board of the New England Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art having served as President of the chapter from 2005 through 2009. He was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art in New York in November of 2018. In addition, he has taught design at the Boston Architectural College and has lectured at Build Boston, The Traditional Building Conference, and at the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America in New York and Boston.

He received his Master of Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Columbia University in History and Urban Studies. He is a recipient of a 2019 Bulfinch Award for his Greek Revival design of a Private Chapel from the New England Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art.

​Mr. Daum lives in Andover, Massachusetts, where he serves on the Design Review Board and the Preservation Commission.

Anne Holford-Smith
Anne Holford-Smith has over 30 years of experience practicing architecture in New York, and has been with PBDW since 1992. Her work includes preservation, new construction, and master plans for major cultural institutions in New York.

She directed the firm’s award-winning restoration work at the Cooper Union Foundation Building, the Appellate Division Courthouse, the Knox Building, and Green-Wood Cemetery’s Gatehouses. Adaptive re-use projects and additions include offices for The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the expansion of the Green-Wood Cemetery Chapel.

Her recently completed projects include a new Net-Zero Energy residence hall for the Center for Development Economics at Williams College, the restoration of the cast iron facades of 462 Broadway, in the SoHo Cast Iron Historic District, and the Moise Safra Center, a new, 65,000 SF multi-purpose facility that will serve New York’s young Sephardic community. Her current projects include the complete renovation of the 300 guest rooms and public spaces at the historic Hotel Beacon.

Ms. Holford-Smith serves as a Commissioner on the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. She received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from Pratt Institute.

Benita Welch
Benita Welch, named a principal of Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel, Architects, DPC in 2009, has led a variety of projects from the firm’s comprehensive portfolio, which ranges from commercial and residential interior design projects to new residential and commercial buildings, and hospitality to historic preservation projects.

Most of her work can be found in New York City, such as ARC, a mixed-use courtyard building with 428 apartments, retail and parking, located in Long Island City and a new 132-unit rental apartment building located at 2 Cooper Square in Manhattan. ARC received the AIA Brooklyn Queens People’s Choice Award in 2018 for its outstanding design and impact on the Long Island City community, while
2 Cooper received a Brick in Architecture Award in 2012. Over the years, Benita has especially gained a comprehensive knowledge on restoration and adaptive reuse from leading preservation projects such as the Samuel Tredwell Skidmore House, the Bowery Savings Bank lobby, and The Beekman Hotel, each of which are individual NYC landmarks. The Beekman Hotel has received numerous awards, including a residential Palladio Award in 2017, a Corbetta Concrete Industry Board Award, and the 2017 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award.

As a member of WX, New York Women Executives in Real Estate, Benita is on the scholarship committee and serves as a mentor. She was also honored with the DeWitt Stern Local Hero Award from ART/NY for her dedication to the restoration of the non-profit’s Brooklyn office/studio building.

Ms. Welch has been at GKV for over 22 years. Prior to that, she has worked at firms such as Manning Silverstein Architects and Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects.

Kathryn Herman
Kathryn Herman is the principal at Kathryn Herman Design. Her strong horticultural background and intense interest in architecture as well as extensive travel around the world has informed her design work on various residential and commercial landscape design projects throughout the United States and around the world. Successful landscape designs have garnered many Palladio and Stanford White Awards, as well as awards from the Connecticut and New York Chapters of the ASLA. Many of the firm’s projects have been published in the U.S. and abroad. In 2012, Ms. Herman was elected into the New England Design Hall of Fame for her contributions to landscape design in the New England region, in 2017, she was named a Stars of Design by the Pacific Design Center and in 2018, she was honored with an Arthur Ross Award.

Ms. Herman received her B.A. from Emory University. She has lectured around the U.S., including being a speaker at the San Francisco Fall Art and Antiques Show, the Architectural Digest Design Show in New York, and the Decorative Arts Society in Newport Beach, CA. She has served as the garden writer for several magazines and is a contributor to a new book, Garden Design Master Class by Carl Dellatore.

Ms. Herman serves as a trustee for the National Board of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and she served there as well from 2007 to 2015. She also currently serves as the Chair of their Travel Programs. Kathryn was recently elected to the ICAA College of Fellows. She has also served as a trustee for the Merritt Parkway Conservancy. She has also served on several juries, including being the Jury Chair for the 2012 Arthur Ross Award, the inaugural Julia Morgan Award, the Phillip Trammell Schutze Award, the New Hampshire Home Design Award, and the Alma Shapiro Prize. Her own garden has been included on the Garden Conservancy Open Days, and it was featured in February 2018 Architectural Digest, and in the February 2019 Gardens Illustrated magazines.

Stuart L. Disston
Stuart L. Disston, AIA, LEED GA joined the partnership at Austin Patterson Disston Architecture & Design in 1994. He oversees the firm’s two offices (Quogue, New York, and Southport, Connecticut) as well as all projects: residential, hospitality, clubs, and commercial. Mr. Disston, who received his Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University’s School of Architecture in 1982, attended the Syracuse Program of Architecture in Florence, Italy, and the Wave Hill Center for Environmental Studies in New York. He served on the Advisory Board of Syracuse University’s School of Architecture and the Quogue Historical Society. He holds architectural registration licenses in New York and Connecticut and is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, and the USGBC.

Elizabeth Graziolo
Elizabeth Graziolo is the award-winning founder and principal of Yellow House Architects in New York City, a collaborative-minded practice specializing in residential and commercial work. Prior to founding YHA, she was a partner at Peter Pennoyer Architects where she directed projects ranging from private homes to developments in the United States and abroad. Recent work includes a townhouse and mixed-use condominium on the Upper East Side, a private estate in the Midwest, and a house renovation/addition in Turks and Caicos. Currently Elizabeth is renovating F. W. Woolworth’s original office in Tribeca’s Woolworth Tower, drawing design inspiration from original architect Cass Gilbert by reintroducing some of his architectural language into the residence.

Elizabeth is a trustee of The Museum of the City of New York and The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & Art, and serves on the Delano & Aldrich/Emerson Fellowship Committee of the American Institute of Architects. She has spoken at international conferences for illustrious institutions such as L’ARDEPA, The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, and is an ongoing guest speaker for the professional practice class at The Cooper Union. In 2019, she presented at a Seminar for “Women Entering the Profession of Architecture” where she sought to inspire the next generation of women architects.

The Museum of the City of New York has honored Elizabeth with their “City of Design Award.” She is a registered architect in the states of New York and Michigan and is a longstanding member of the American Institute of Architects. Elizabeth received her Bachelor of Architecture from The Cooper Union.