History

1925

Founded in 1925 as a four-year program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Architecture, under the leaderships of Rudolph Weaver, the inaugural class included 34 students.

1929

The graduate degree program is initiated and the School of Architecture and Allied Arts is formed, including the Departments of Architecture, Music, and Painting.

1933

Within the School, the Department of Landscape Architecture is initiated.

1935

The Department of Building Construction is initiated, the oldest program of its type in the nation.

1941

The School is one of only twelve schools of architecture in the United States invited by the American Institute of Architects to present a statement on “Philosophies Underlying the Teaching of Architecture” for publication by the Institute.

1948

The architecture program is among the first to be accredited by the newly instituted National Architectural Accrediting Board.

1970

The Department adopted the “4 + 2” curriculum structure, with a four-year pre-professional Bachelor of Design in Architecture degree followed by a two-year professional Master of Architecture degree.

1975

The faculties of architecture and the associated fields of environmental design form the College of Architecture, with Mark Jaroszewicz as the first Dean leading the 981 student population including disciplines of Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning, and the School of Building Construction.

1982

The School of Architecture doubled enrollment from 320 to 651 in the 14 years since 1968 under the direction of Arnold Butt, Chair. John McRae begins serving as Chair, until 1987, when he was appointed Dean of the School of Architecture at Mississippi State University.

1986

Anthony Catanese becomes the Dean of the College of Architecture.

1988

The Ph.D. in Architecture program is initiated. Robert Segrest serves as Chair until 1990.

1990

Professor R. Wayne Drummond becomes the third Dean of the College of Architecture.

1991

Robert McCarter, previously on the faculty at Columbia University, is appointed as Chair.

1999

Dr. Jay Stein, former Chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, serves as Interim Dean of the College of Architecture during a national search.

2000

The College name is changed under Dr. Stein from the College of Architecture to the College of Design, Construction, and Planning in an attempt to better recognize the five college programs. The Department of Architecture is also elevated to the School of Architecture during the renaming process. Robert McCarter is appointed as Director.

2001

Dr. Jay Stein appointed Dean, serving through 2005. Robert McCarter resigns as Director and returns to the faculty. Professor Gary Ridgdill serves as Interim Director through 2003.

2003

Martha Kohen, a professor and practicing architect from Uruguay is appointed Director during the summer of 2003. She returned to the faculty in 2008.

2006

Dr. Christopher Silver is appointed Dean in the summer of 2006 following a national search, during which Associate Dean Anthony Dasta is appointed Interim Dean. Dr. Silver previously served as Professor and Head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

2008

Associate Professor Martin Gold is appointed Interim Director.

2009

Martin Gold is appointed as Director. The administration is restructured under Director Gold to include two Assistant Director positions – one for the graduate and PhD program and one for the undergraduate program. Assistant Directors Nancy Clark (Graduate) and John Maze (undergraduate) are appointed from within the faculty.

2012

The School of Architecture launches the Citylab-Orlando Master of Architecture program in collaboration with the University of Central Florida (UCF) and Valencia College (VC) to provide a 2+2+2 degree track toward professional registration. The inaugural class of 17 students initiates the two-year Master of Architecture program in the fall of 2012. Dr. Frank Bosworth acts as Assistant Director in the School of Architecture to administer the program. The program is located in downtown Orlando in the UCF Emerging Media Center – a collaborative of digital and traditional media arts including game design, motion capture, animation, and traditional printing arts.

2021

Dr. David Rifkind joins the UF faculty as Director of the School of Architecture.

2023

The School of Architecture launches JaxLab Citylab-Jacksonville with a unique low-residency model of hybrid education for both the Master of Architecture and Master of Science in Architectural Studies degree programs.

2023

The College of Design, Construction and Planning breaks ground on the Bruno E and Maritza F Ramos Collaboratory, a 50,000sf addition to the Architecture Building.

2024

Associate Professor Nancy Clark is appointed Interim Director.

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