Draft:Sara Caples

• Comment: The entire "Themes and Conceptual Framework" section (which is much too promotionally written) is sourced to a book written by her. That is a primary, non-independent source – please aim for high-quality secondary and fully independent sources to support claims about her work, beyond factual details about things like projects she has been responsible for. bonadea contributions talk 21:13, 5 February 2025 (UTC)

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Sara Caples, AIA is an American architect, educator, and co-founder of Caples Jefferson Architects, a New York City-based architecture firm. Caples founded the firm with Everardo Jefferson, in 1987.

Personal Life

Born in Virginia, Sara Caples grew up in a family that frequently moved due to her father's career in the Air Force. As a result, her childhood was spent living in a variety of locations, including a farm overlooking the Hudson River, the pastures of Colorado, and suburban neighborhoods. Her mother, Barbara Barrett Caples, was a painter and printmaker who preferred civilian life at each of these postings. The family spent their longest stretch abroad in Fontainebleau, a small town south of Paris. While there, Sara attended an international high school where classes were taught entirely in French, surrounded by a diverse community of teachers and students.

She married architect Everardo Jefferson in 1982. Their son, contemporary artist, Esteban Jefferson was born in 1989.

Education

Sara Caples attended St. Agnes School, a college preparatory Episcopal Church School in Alexandria, Virginia and graduated in 1966. She later pursued her undergraduate studies at Smith College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History in 1970. She later attended Yale University, where she earned a Master of Architecture degree in 1974

Career

Architecture

Following her graduation from Yale, Caples began her architectural career at Harry Weese & Associates, working there from 1974 to 1977. She then became a project manager at HOK, where she remained until 1981. Caples subsequently joined Polshek Partnership (now Ennead Architects) as an associate, a position she held for eight years. In 1987, she co-founded Caples Jefferson Architects, PC, with her partner, Everardo Jefferson.

Caples Jefferson Architects, based in New York City. Approximately half of the firm's projects focus on underserved communities.

In 2024, Caples was inducted into the National Academy of Design as a National Academician.

Caples is a licensed architect in New York State and Washington D.C. and holds certification from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). She is also a Certified Construction Specifier.

Teaching

Caples has held various academic positions. She served as a visiting critic at the University of Miami in 2011 and 2013 and at Syracuse University. From 2008 to 2012, she was a visiting professor at the City College of New York.

She was a Louis I. Kahn Visiting Assistant Professor in 2015 and William B. And Charlotte Shepherd Davenport Visiting Professor at Yale Architecture in 2021, and 2024. She is a Fellow for Innovation in Engagement at Pratt Institute.

Public Service

Caples has served as a juror for the National AIA Interior Awards, the National AIA Housing Awards, and the Emerging New York Architects (ENYA) South Street Seaport Competition. Additionally, she has held positions on the board of the AIA New York Chapter and the Dalton Council and served as President of the l’Ecole Tenant Association.

Major Projects

• The Africa Center (2026)
• Louis Armstrong Center, Queens NY (2023)
• 10 Bouck Court (2016)
• Weeksville Heritage Center, Brooklyn, NY (2012)
• Marcus Garvey Community Center, Brooklyn, NY (2011)
• Queens Theatre in the Park, Queens, NY (2009)
• Starr East Asian Library Renovation, New York, NY (2009)
• Heritage Health and Housing Headquarters, New York, NY (2002)

Career Honors & Awards

In 2017, the firm earned the President’s Award from the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Five years earlier, it won the New York State Architecture Firm of the Year Award and was listed among the Top 50 Sustainable Firms in the U.S. by an Architect Magazine ranking.

Awards

• National Academician Inductee, National Academy of Design (2024)
• Nominee, Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize 2024
• NYCxDESIGN Award, Interior Design 2024
• National Medal for Museum and Library Service (2024)
• Exhibitor, Venice Architecture Biennale, 2021
• President’s Award, AIANY 2017
• Nominee, Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize 2014
• Design Award, Historic Districts Council, New York City 2014
• Building Brooklyn Award, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce 2014
• American Architecture Award, Chicago Athenaeum 2014
• Firm of the Year, AIANY 2012
• MASterworks Award, Municipal Art Society 2011
• Multiple Design Awards, National Organization of Minority Architects 2009
• New York City Minority and Women Business Enterprise of the Year 2009
• Design Award, Queens Chamber of Commerce 2008
• Award for Design Excellence, Art Commission of the City of New York 2006
• Multiple Year Invited Participant in openhousenewyork

Books

• Many Voices. London: RIBA Publishing (2023). ISBN 9781914124327.
• Harlem: Mart 125. New Haven: Yale School of Architecture (2018). ISBN 9781945150821.
• The New Mix: Culturally Dynamic Architecture. Cambridge: Academy Press (2005). ISBN 9780470014677.