Ralph Lerner AR’74
After graduating from The Cooper Union, Ralph Lerner AR’74 earned his master’s in architecture from Harvard University and went on to work in the United States, England, India, Brazil and China.
Ralph taught at Princeton, Harvard, the University of Westminster, Polytechnic of Central London and the University of Virginia. At Princeton, he joined the faculty in 1984 and served as the Dean of the School of Architecture from 1989 to 2002. He transferred to emeritus status in 2008. In 2006, he became Dean and Chair Professor at the University of Hong Kong. Lerner received five Progressive Architecture Awards, including a First Award for the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi, India, in 1987, and a PA Citation for the Lower Manhattan Financial District Plan in 2004. In 1990, he was honored with the President’s Citation from The Cooper Union. His work was exhibited at the National Building Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art in London and the Museum of Modern Art. He participated in a design proposal for the Olympic Village for the 2012 New York City Olympic bid. Lerner served as a member of the Cooper Union Alumni Council and on its John Q. Hejduk Award Committee. He was the director, advisor or juror for numerous design competitions, including the CCA Prize Competition for the Design of Cities, Architectural Design Awards from the American Institute of Architects and the City Lights Design Competition for the NYC Department of Design and Construction/ NYC Department of Transportation. Ralph Lerner passed away on May 7, 2011.
Ralph Lerner was inducted into the Cooper Union Hall of Fame in 2009.