Gray Design Building, Architecture Alum Honored for Preservation Efforts
The Gray Design Building and University of Kentucky College of Design alumnus Randall Vaughn were honored during the 2025 Blue Grass Trust Preservation Awards on May 18.
The Gray Design Building received the 2025 Lucy Graves Advocacy Award from the Blue Grass Trust. The Lucy Graves Advocacy Award honors Lucy Coleman Graves, a passionate preservationist best known for her efforts against the Lexington Urban Renewal Agency’s demolition of historic buildings on West High Street in 1970. According to the Blue Grass Trust website, the Lucy Graves Advocacy Award is “given to an individual or group that has exhibited advocacy leadership in supporting the historic preservation movement in Central Kentucky.”
The following paragraph on why the Gray Design Building was chosen for this award appeared in the award ceremony’s program:
“The Gray Design Building is home to the UK College of Design and the Department of Historic Preservation and shows their visionary commitment to preservation, education, and adaptive reuse. More than just an academic space, the Gray Design Building serves as a laboratory for ideas, for fostering interdisciplinary collaboration through open studios, fabrication labs, and shared learning environments. Housed in a rehabilitated tobacco warehouse, the building stands as a testament to thoughtful historic preservation, and to successfully honoring Lexington's industrial heritage while integrating cutting-edge sustainability and modern technology. This innovative project exemplifies how preservation can support contemporary educational and design goals while maintaining the irreplaceable character of historic structures.”
UK College of Design faculty members Doug Appler, chair of the Department of Historic Preservation; Julie Riesenweber, associate professor in the Department of Historic Preservation and the Gray Design Building’s nominator for the award; Mitzi Vernon, former dean and professor in the Department of Product Design; and Dean Ned Crankshaw accepted the award on behalf of all who contributed to the building’s success.
“We are honored to receive the Lucy Graves Advocacy Award for the Gray Design Building, a space that embodies the very principles we teach: adaptive reuse, sustainability and respect for our shared history,” Crankshaw said. “This project reflects the hard work and vision of many who believed that preservation and innovative design not only can coexist but can inspire one another.”
Randall Vaughn, a 1984 architecture alumnus and vice president of architecture at Gray AES, received the Yvonne Giles Award during the ceremony. This award is named in recognition of renowned Central Kentucky preservationist Yvonne Giles, known locally as “Cemetery Lady” for her work documenting and protecting African American history and cemeteries.
“I’m honored to receive this award named for Ms. Yvonne Giles, a friend, colleague, and collaborator on research and history projects on the built environment in Lexington and Central Kentucky where African Americans were major contributors in architecture and construction,” Vaughn said. “For my efforts in contributing towards the research, advocacy, and education on African American history, I am delighted the Bluegrass Trust has chosen me for this award.”
According to the Blue Grass Trust website, the Yvonne Giles Award recognizes individuals, groups or projects that advance research, advocacy and community education around African American or other underrepresented histories in the Bluegrass. The Blue Grass Trust award ceremony’s program included the following information about Vaughn’s work:
“Randall Vaughn is recognized for his work researching, preserving and advocating for African American history in the Bluegrass. As a community minded native of Lexington, Vaughn has played a crucial role in elevating the legacies of Vertner and Henry Tandy, ensuring their contributions to Kentucky's built environment are recognized and celebrated. His work has been featured in both a Blue Grass Trust virtual deTour and a KET documentary and reflects his commitment to history and cultural inclusion. Beyond his expertise as an architect, Vaughn has served on numerous civic and cultural boards including the Lexington Opera Society, the Governor's School for the Arts Advisory Committee, and the MLK State Commission, while also mentoring youth through organizations such as the YMCA Black Achievers program and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. His passion for history, advocacy and education make him a deserving recipient of this award, ensuring a richer and more inclusive understanding of Kentucky's heritage.”
These honors during the 2025 Blue Grass Trust Preservation Awards highlighted the UK College of Design’s continued commitment to historic preservation through innovation, education and advocacy. The recognition of the Gray Design Building and alumnus Randall Vaughn underscores the lasting impact UK faculty, students and alumni have on preserving Kentucky’s architectural and cultural heritage.