Background
Helfand, Margaret was born on June 26, 1947 in Pasadena, California, United States. Daughter of Bernard Benjamin and Phyllis Jones (Neidig) Helfand.
Helfand, Margaret was born on June 26, 1947 in Pasadena, California, United States. Daughter of Bernard Benjamin and Phyllis Jones (Neidig) Helfand.
Student, Swarthmore College, 1968. Bachelor, University California, Berkeley, 1969. Master of Architecture, University California, Berkeley, 1973.
She received her Bachelor of Arts at Swarthmore College and M.Arch from University of California - Berkeley. Margaret Helfand was a Manhattan architect and urban planner who has been recognized worldwide for her innovative approach to design of institutional buildings, interiors, and college campuses. Her designs emphasize clean elemental forms, the use of natural materials and the integration of her buildings with the surrounding landscape.
Mississippi
Helfand spent the bulk of her career practicing at her own firm, Helfand Architecture, founded in 1981. Breaking through gender typecasting which often relegates female architects to designing houses and interiors, she executed many large-scale institutional and commercial works. Mississippi Helfand was elected to the College of Fellows by the American Institute of Architects in 1998.
She helped create the Center for Architecture, a hub for exhibitions in the field and the home of the New York chapter of the institute.
She was a co-chairman of New York New Visions, a civic group that advised government agencies on urban design and planning guidelines for the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan after the destruction of the World Trade Center. She died in New York City, New York, six days before her 60th birthday, in 2007 from complications of colon cancer.
Fellow American Institute of Architects (board directors, New York City chapter, president, 2001). Member Architectural League New York, New York Foundation Architecture (treasurer), New York Society Architects, East Side History District Friends.
Married Jon Anthony Turner, June 17, 1979.