News & awards

Karpinski Engineering and lighting designer Marian K. Perez, LC, MIES, won an Honorable Mention in the 40th Annual SOURCE Awards for the lighting design of Erie County Historical Society’s Watson-Curtze Mansion and Carriage House.

Marian accepted the award at LIGHTFAIR 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“This was the first time we applied for this award. The fact that we won – I was blown away,” Marian said.

SOURCE Awards entries are judged on “the blending of aesthetics, creative achievement and technical performance as well as the degree to which the lighting met project constraints and design concept goals” (Source). The competition is open to lighting design projects that used Eaton lighting fixtures and lighting control systems.

Modern Lighting Technology Enlivens Historic Architecture

The Watson-Curtze Mansion and Carriage House is part of an integrated history center in Erie, Pennsylvania. Built in 1891, the 12,000-SF Mansion was originally a private residence. It has been a public museum since 1941 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The lighting was redesigned as part of a renovation and expansion project.

Within the Mansion, one of the key design criteria was to illuminate the building’s intricate beauty: Tiffany glass, mosaics, damask wall coverings, hand-painted ceilings, and carved and pierced woodwork. The resulting design is minimalist and subtle.

“I loved working on this project,” Marian said. “There are so many great details to the space. To be able to use modern technology to accent all those nooks and crannies – they would have never been able to do that in the past.”

View more photos and read more about the project.

Architect: Jeff Kidder, AIA, Kidder Wachter Architecture & Design
Photographer: Lisa Wilding, Karpinski Engineering