This is the highest honor presented by AIA Wyoming. The Silver Medal recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the institute, the profession, the citizens of Wyoming, their community, and has transcended local boundaries in making these contributions.
Location: Casper, WY
For over thirty-one years, Lyle T. Murtha, AIA, has contributed to the ongoing design discourse of revitalizing urban areas and repurposing structures by promoting contextually designed public spaces and rehabilitated structures that demonstrate an accountability to the context, environment, client goals and historical continuum in which they were conceived — and by educating the public and other design professionals about these topics via various methods. This, combined with Lyle’s dedication to, involvement in and support of AIA Wyoming and to the profession of architecture and the greater community through countless hours of fully engaged volunteerism, promotion and support, marks his greatest contributions to the architectural profession.
Lyle has a passion for and has produced a trove of repurposed structures, including over 65 separate projects (and counting), both historic and non-historic. This represents an astounding number and immeasurable conservation of cultural resources, not to mention the preservation of our rich history for future generations — all by implementing a set of model solutions and setting a high standard for others to follow. Nearly all of these projects have included reviving vacant and deteriorating historic buildings — many located in the downtown areas — into vibrant, useful buildings as well as reintroducing living units on their upper floors, serving not only to preserve the cultural resource of the building(s) for future generations but also becoming economic revitalization drivers within typically blighted areas.
His selflessness has also led to involvement in over 32 separate projects with non-profit entities — an average of nearly two per year (of the 18 years with his firm)! And, Lyle has been instrumental in both reintroducing urban living to assist in economic revitalization as well as in intervening when distressed structures in downtown areas have been planned for demolition.
He has been a continuously active member of AIA Wyoming for 29 years with a high attendance rate at Chapter meetings and conferences — despite the chapter’s large geographic area, which encompasses Wyoming’s nearly 100,000 square mile territory. Lyle has served on the AIA Wyoming Board of Directors for eight years, served multiple times as chairperson for successful statewide Chapter conferences, actively serves on two Chapter standing committees, participated in two Chapter strategic planning sessions, three Design Awards Task Forces and represented the Chapter at a National Grassroots Conference.
Over the past 18 years, Lyle and his firm have gained respect and recognition for architecture that is sensitive to its environment and creatively integrated into its surroundings. Lyle’s passion for the profession of architecture and his generosity of time is unparalleled. Through civic engagement and public outreach, Lyle has left an indelible mark upon the architectural profession in Wyoming. His contributions to the profession can be seen in various media, the resurgent success of AIA Wyoming and other organizations he is involved with, and most importantly, in the durable, sustainable, integrated and preserved walls of his executed designs.
