Charles E. Dagit Jr. is a contemporary American architect, artist, writer and professor. He is a

Fellow of the American Institute of Architects Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-member ...

residing in suburban

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

, USA. Dagit has taught architectural design for 40 years at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptists, Baptist minister Russell Conwell an ...

, and

Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Ar ...

, and has been a visiting critic and lecturer at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universit ...

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

, and

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. In 2012 the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to ...

(AIA) Pennsylvania presented Charles Dagit with its highest honor, the Gold Medal of Distinction for his career achievements in architecture. Only three other Philadelphia Design Architects have ever received this award;

Robert Venturi Robert Charles Venturi Jr. (June 25, 1925 – September 18, 2018) was an American architect, founding principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, and one of the major architectural figures of the twentieth century. Together with ...

Peter Bohlin Peter Q. Bohlin (born 1937 in New York City, United States) is an American architect and the winner of the 2010 Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) and a founding prin ...

, and Vincent Kling. The AIA’s Philadelphia chapter also honored Dagit in 2012 with the prestigious Thomas U. Walter Award for a lifetime of achievement in design excellence, dedication as a teaching professor, and for his committed service to the AIA over four decades. In 2013 his first book was published, ''Louis I. Kahn Architect - Remembering the Man and Those Who Surrounded Him''.

Early life and education

Dagit was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was raised in a family of architects. His grandfather had founded a prominent architectural firm in 1888, Henry D. Dagit & Sons, known best for Catholic Churches in the eastern United States, and his father and uncles were architects at the firm. Dagit studied in the Louis I. Kahn Masters Studio in architecture, earning a Masters in Architecture in 1968, at the

. In Philadelphia in the 1960s, Louis I. Kahn’s Masters Studio was the hub for what became known as "The Philadelphia School". The philosophies and design of Louis Kahn,

, Aldo Giurgola, and other members of this group were influential in Dagit’s professional development.

Architecture

In 1970 he founded Dagit•Saylor Architects and won over 60 Design Awards including the Gold and Silver Medals for design from AIA Pennsylvania and AIA Philadelphia. In 1976

Robert A.M. Stern Robert Arthur Morton Stern, usually credited as Robert A. M. Stern (born May 23, 1939), is a New York City–based architect, educator, and author. He is the founding partner of the architecture firm, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, also known as ...

named him one of the “40 Under 40 American Architects” in A+U Magazine. 1983 he was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, the youngest architect to that time to be honored as an AIA Fellow. Dagit’s work has been published in international design magazines including; Architectural Record, L’Architecture d’Aujourd’Hui, The Japan Architect, L’Industria delle Construzioni, and many others. Charles Dagit has provided leadership in the AIA National Committee on Design (COD) for over 3 decades, chairing the National Awards Task Group and the Gold Medal Task Group. He served as Chairman of the Committee in 1994. He chaired the AIA COD National Design Conference in 1991, with a focus on “The Philadelphia School”. Dagit has also served on the Boards of both the AIA Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, and was President of AIA Philadelphia in 1991.

Select projects

College buildings

Photo of original pencil rendering by Charles Dagit of Cumberland University Union Building

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and ...

Logan Museum of Anthropology Logan Museum of Anthropology is a museum of Beloit College, located in Beloit, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1894 by Beloit trustee and patron of the arts Frank Granger Logan and contains about 300,000 archaeological and ethnologica ...

, 1993–95 *Cornell University **Appel Commons Building (2000) ** North Campus Residential Initiative Plan *Haverford College, Whitehead Campus Center, 1990 *Lehigh University, Zoellner Performing Arts Center, 1997 *Pennsylvania State University **Physical Education Building **Agricultural Arena *

Shippensburg University Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (Ship or SU) is a public university in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Founded in 1871, it later became the first teachers college in Pennsylvania. ...

**Grove Hall, College of Business **Cumberland Union Building *Swarthmore College, Lang Performing Arts Center, 1991 *

Ursinus College Ursinus College is a private liberal arts college in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869 and occupies a 170-acre campus. History 19th century In 1867, members of the German Reformed Church began plans to establish a college wh ...

**F.W. Olin Hall ** Berman Museum of Art, 1989

Other buildings

* Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building,''A Minimalist Yin to Furness Yang'', The Philadelphia Inquirer, 25 March 2005

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and Private university, private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

, 2005 *Monastery of St. Clare *

Pennsylvania Ballet The Philadelphia Ballet, formerly known as Pennsylvania Ballet until rebranding in 2021, is Philadelphia's largest ballet company. The company's annual local season features six programs of classic favorites, as well as new works, including the Ph ...

Awards and honors

*The Medal of Distinction, Gold Medal, AIA Pennsylvania 2012 *The Thomas U. Walter Award, AIA Philadelphia 2012 *Silver Medal of the Pennsylvania Society of Architects, 1985 *National Design Competition Winner, Cultural Arts Pavilion in Newport News, Virginia, 1984 *College of Fellows, Design, AIA, 1983 *World Contemporary Architecture Survey, The Japan Architect, 1976 *"40 Under 40" American Architects, A+U Magazine, 1976 *Gold Medal of the Philadelphia Chapter, AIA, 1976 *Silver Medal of the Philadelphia Chapter, AIA, 1975 *Shenck-Woodman Traveling Fellowship, 1968 *John Stewardson Memorial Traveling Fellowship, 1967 *James Smyth Warner Prize, 1967 *Dales Traveling Fellowship, 1966

Books

*''The Groundbreakers: Architects in American History - Their Places and Times'', Dagit, 2015 *''Louis I. Kahn Architect: Remembering the Man and Those who Surrounded Him'', Dagit, 2013

References

External links

* * University of Pennsylvania lecture, 30 October 201

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dagit, Charles Living people 21st-century American architects Architects from Philadelphia Fellows of the American Institute of Architects American theatre architects American architectural historians American architecture writers American male non-fiction writers 21st-century American historians University of Pennsylvania School of Design alumni 21st-century American painters 21st-century male artists Painters from Pennsylvania 20th-century American architects 20th-century American painters American male painters Temple University faculty Drexel University faculty University of Pennsylvania faculty Cornell University faculty Carnegie Mellon University faculty Syracuse University faculty 1943 births Historians from Pennsylvania