Milton Bennett Medary Jr., FAIA

Year Awarded: 1929
Born: February 06, 1874; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died: 1929; Philadelphia,Pennsylvania


Projects
• Washington Chapel, Valley Forge, Penn.
• 1929: Bok Singing Towers, Mountain Lake, Fla.
• Penn Athletic Club
• Episcopal Chapel of the Mediator


Biography
Milton Medary graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia in 1890, then entered the University of Pennsylvania, though he left after only one year. In 1891 he began working for Frank Miles Day, a summer job that he turned into a four-year position.
In 1895 he established a partnership with Richard Field and remained with that practice until Field died in 1905. He then practiced alone until 1910, when he joined with Clarence Zantzinger and Charles Borie to form the practice he remained with for the remainder of his career.

In 1918 President Wilson appointed Shaw to the Federal Commission of Fine Arts, and in 1926 President Coolidge appointed him to the National Park and Planning Commission. In 1926 he was appointed to the Treasury Department’s board of architecture consultants. Shaw was also a consultant to Cornell University, Mount Vernon, and the Roosevelt Memorial Association. Some of his better-known projects include the Valley Forge Memorial Chapel, Penn Athletic Club, and the Episcopal Chapel of the Mediator.
Shaw held memberships in and served many organizations throughout his career. He was president of the Philadelphia chapter of the AIA, and from 1926 to 1928 he was president of the National Component of the AIA. He also served as president of the T-Square Club and as director of the Foundation for Architecture and Landscape Architecture in Lake Forest, Ill. He was a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Art Club, Royal Institute of British Architects, the American Federation of the Arts, and the American Engineering Council, among others.

In 1927 Shaw received a gold medal from the Philadelphia Art Club and an honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.