2011 Recipient | AIA Honorary Membership

Howard E. Rachofsky, Hon. AIA + Cindy D. Rachofsky, Hon. AIA |
Notes of Interest

Howard and Cindy Rachofsky have been involved in the cultural life of the city of Dallas for more than three decades. Howard Rachofsky has been described by Deedie Rose, Hon. AIA as "a shining example of one who lives his life, both privately and publicly, to demonstrate the value of the arts to one's life and to one's community." Cindy has also embodied this commitment through active participation, involvement, and philanthropy within the artistic community.

Howard and Cindy Rachofsky built a personal residence designed by AIA Gold Medalist Richard Meier, FAIA. Design was begun on the house in 1980 and construction was completed in 1996. At that time, due to Howard and Cindy's increased investment in art, the residence became a prime gallery for their collection. It became apparent to them, however, that the house was an opportunity to inform a community about contemporary architecture and art. They donated the house and their world-class art collection to the Dallas Museum of Art. The house, now used as a gallery and event space, has become a resource for use by students and nonprofit organizations for educational and fundraising opportunities.

The Rachofskys have demonstrated a deep involvement in community-based organizations including architecture, art, and education. They have opened the home to host an annual TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art benefit every year since 1999. This has resulted in more than $25 million being raised for amfAR (The Foundation for AIDS Research) and the Dallas Museum of Art. It is the single largest fundraising event in the United States for amfAR and has funded more than 70 major contemporary art acquisitions for the museum. For their tireless commitment to the fight against AIDS, they received amfAR's Award of Courage in 2009.

Howard is originally a native of Dallas, going on to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and to receive a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas at Austin. He started the Regal Capital Company, where he is President and Chairman of the Board, and Regal Securities Investment, L.P., where he is a partner. In conjunction with his professional career, he has been deeply involved with art, music, education, and architecture organizations.

Cindy is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in business and worked in fashion for 27 years, fifteen of which were at Anne Klein. Her contribution to and leadership in the Dallas arts scene is notable, as evidenced by when she served as the solicitation chair for the capital campaign to fully develop the Dallas Arts District, which includes performance halls designed by Rem Koolhaas, Hon. FAIA, I. M. Pei, FAIA, and Edward Larrabee Barnes, FAIA.

Howard and Cindy have demonstrated an intense and committed relationship with the organizations in which they participate. These organizations include, but are not limited to, the University of Texas School of Architecture, the Dallas Architecture Foundation, the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, the Booker T. Washington Arts Magnet School, the Dallas Symphony Association, and the East Dallas Community School.

The Rachofskys have not only invested their time and energies into community organizations, but they have given generously to the support and expansion of those organizations. Howard and Cindy, along with Deedie and Rusty Rose, Marguerite and Robert Hoffman, and Margaret McDermott, Hon. AIA, made significant donations to the Dallas Museum of Art, both monetarily and in art bequests that will enrich the museum's holdings by more than 800 modern and contemporary works. The Rachofsky pledge included the gift of their own Meier-designed house, mentioned above.

In his reference letter, Thomas Phifer, FAIA, speaks to the Rachofskys' influence on the architecture world through their generous gift, saying they "used the house as a wonderful and spirited vehicle for the most important legacy they will leave to Dallas: education. Every time I arrive, there is another young school group, another group of architecture and art students, or another group from cities far and wide." In this way, the Rachofskys have added greatly to their community, to important fundraising efforts, and to the architecture world as a whole.

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