Carol Ross Barney facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Carol Ross Barney
Barney at the Chicago Riverwalk section she designed
Born	April 12, 1949 (1949-04-12) (age 76) Chicago, Illinois, United States
Alma mater	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (B.Arch., 1971), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (M.Arch., 1984)
Occupation	Architect
Awards	2023 AIA Gold Medal 2021 Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum National Design Award for Architecture and Interior Design 2021 Lincoln Academy of Illinois Order of Lincoln Award 2018 Honorary ASLA Member 2017 AIA Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award 2013 AIA COTE Top Ten Green Project Award 2013 AIA Divine Detail Award, Citation of Merit

Practice	Ross Barney Architects
Projects	New Oklahoma City Federal Building, Chicago Riverwalk

Carol Ross Barney (born 1949) is an American architect. She started her own company, Ross Barney Architects. She is known for designing many important buildings and spaces. In 2023, she won the AIA Gold Medal, which is a very high honor for architects.

Carol Ross Barney was the first woman to design a federal building. This was the Oklahoma City Federal Building. It replaced a building that was damaged in 1995. She also designed the Chicago Riverwalk. Other projects include the JRC Synagogue and the CTA Morgan Street Station.

About Carol Ross Barney
Awards and Honors
Selected Works
Gallery
See also

About Carol Ross Barney

Carol Ross Barney was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 12, 1949. She went to public schools in Chicago. When she was nine, her family moved to West Germany for a short time. She later returned to Chicago for high school.

Carol studied architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned her first degree in 1971. Later, she went back to get her Master's degree in 1984.

Her Work Around the World

After college, Carol joined the U.S. Peace Corps. She worked in Costa Rica. There, she helped the Costa Rican National Park Service. Her projects included plans to protect coral reefs. She also worked on restoring old buildings in national parks.

After the Peace Corps, Carol worked for a firm in Chicago. She helped restore the Chicago Public Library. This building is now called the Chicago Cultural Center.

Supporting Women in Architecture

In 1973, Carol helped start Chicago Women in Architecture (CWA). She was the first president of this group. CWA helps women architects. Carol also worked with Natalie deBlois, another famous woman architect.

Starting Her Own Firm

In 1981, Carol started her own architecture business in Chicago. Her firm is now called Ross Barney Architects. She won a special award in 1983. This award allowed her to travel and study how European cities rebuilt after World War II.

Designing Important Buildings

In 2001, Carol began designing the new Oklahoma City Federal Building. The goal was to create a safe space. It also needed to feel open and welcoming, like a symbol of democracy.

Carol also teaches architecture. Since 1994, she has been a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology. She teaches advanced design classes there.

Her firm has designed many award-winning projects. In 2005, she received the Thomas Jefferson Award. This award is for architects who design great public buildings.

One of her most famous projects is the Chicago Riverwalk. This project has won many awards. In 2017, Carol received the AIA Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognized all her amazing work.

Carol continues to lead design projects at her firm today.

Awards and Honors

Carol Ross Barney has received many awards for her work:

2023 AIA Gold Medal
2021 Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum National Design Award for Architecture and Interior Design
2021 Lincoln Academy of Illinois Order of Lincoln Award
2019 Fast Company Magazine The World's Most Innovative Companies; Architecture
2019 Illinois Green Alliance Emerald Award for the McDonald's Chicago Flagship
2019 Award for Excellence in Design, Leadership, and Service, Society of Architectural Historians
2018 Honorary ASLA Member
2018 Metropolis (architecture magazine) Game Changer
2017 AIA Chicago Lifetime Achievement Award
2017 Chicago Magazine's Chicagoans of the Year
2015 Vision Award; Smart Transit Solutions and Neighborhood Impact, Urban Land Institute Chicago
2013 AIA COTE Top Ten Green Project Award for Swenson Civil Engineering Building
2013 AIA Divine Detail Award, Citation of Merit for Chicago Riverwalk - Underbridge Canopy Detail
2012 Chicago AIA Distinguished Building Award, Citation of Merit for CTA Morgan Station
2012 Evergreen Award for James I. Swenson Civil Engineering Building at the University of Minnesota, Duluth
2012 American Architecture Awards for James I. Swenson Civil Engineering Building at the University of Minnesota, Duluth
2011 AIA Distinguished Building Award, Honor Award for James I Swenson Civil Engineering Building
2011 AIA Distinguished Building Award, Citation of Merit for Fullerton and Belmont Stations Reconstruction
2009 AIA COTE Top Ten Green Project Award for Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation
2009 World Architecture Festival - Category Commendation for Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation Synagogue
2002 AIA Institute Honor Award for Architecture for the Little Village Academy
1992 Federal Design Achievement Award through the Presidential Design Awards program, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts for the Glendale Heights Post Office
1991 AIA Institute Honor Award Achievement for the Glendale Heights Post Office

Carol is also a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Her drawings have been shown in famous places. These include the Art Institute of Chicago and the National Building Museum.

Selected Works

Here are some of the projects Carol Ross Barney has designed:

O'Hare International Airport Multi-modal Terminal, Chicago, Illinois, 2019
Lincoln Park Zoo Visitor's Center, Chicago, Illinois, 2018
McDonald's Chicago Flagship, Chicago, Illinois, 2018
Chicago Riverwalk, Chicago, Illinois, 2016
Cermak-McCormick Place station, Chicago, Illinois, 2015
Fermilab, Office Technical and Education Building, Batavia, Illinois, 2014
Highland Park Elementary, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 2014
Will Rogers Elementary, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 2014
Ohio State University South Campus Central Chiller Plant, Columbus, Ohio, 2013
University of Chicago Child Development Center Drexel, Chicago, Illinois, 2013
CTA Morgan station, In conjunction with TranSystems, Chicago, Illinois, 2012
CTA Grand/State station, Chicago, Illinois, 2012
CTA Fullerton and Belmont Stations, Chicago, Illinois, 2012
James I. Swenson Civil Engineering Building, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota, 2010
Washington University Childcare Facility, St. Louis, Missouri, 2010
Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation Synagogue, Evanston, Illinois, 2008
Commodore John Barry Elementary School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2008
Champaign Public Library, Champaign, Illinois, 2008
Mitzi Freidheim Child Family Center, Chicago, Illinois, 2007
College of Dupage Early Childhood Education and Care Facility, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, 2007
Oakton Community College Art, Science, and Technology Building, Skokie, Illinois, 2006
New Oklahoma City Federal Building, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 2005
Glenside Public Library, Glenside Heights, Illinois, 2003
Governors State University Family Development Center, University Park, Illinois, 2003
Governors State University Faculty Office Building, University Park, Illinois, 2003
Levy Senior Center, Evanston, Illinois, 2002
Little Village Academic Resource Center, Chicago, Illinois, 2001
Carole Robertson Center for Learning, Chicago, Illinois, 2002
Little Village Academy, Chicago, Illinois, 1996
Cesar Chavez Multicultural Academic Center, Chicago, Illinois, 1993