Abbott Lowell Cummings Prize

The Abbott Lowell Cummings Prize, named after the founding president of the VAF, is awarded annually to the publication that has made the most significant contribution to the study of vernacular architecture and cultural landscapes of North America. In judging the nominated books, the jurors look for a publication that is based on primary research, that emphasizes fieldwork, that breaks new ground in interpretation or methodology, and that contributes generally to the intellectual vitality of vernacular studies in North America. Entries may come from any discipline concerned with vernacular architecture studies. Books published in the two years prior to the conference year are eligible for consideration. Edited collections are not eligible.

Nominations

There is no application form, but a cover letter should include a complete mailing address, phone number and email address in order to notify the candidate should the nominated work receive the award. The deadline for submissions for the 2010 prize is Friday, December 4, 2009. Please contact the committee chair Susan Kern with questions. Books may be sent directly to the committee members for the Cummings Prize:

Susan A. Kern (Chair)
Lyon G. Tyler Dept. of History
The College of William & Mary
P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
(757) 221-7738
sakern@wm.edu

Rachel Leibowitz
1605 Meadow Lane
Taylor, TX 76574-1338

Astrid M. B. Liverman
National and State Register Coordinator
Preservation Planning Unit Director
Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation
Colorado Historical Society
225 East 16th Avenue, Suite 950
Denver, CO 80203

2009 Prize Winner

Mary Ellen Hayward. Baltimore’s Alley Houses: Homes for Working People since the 1780s. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008.
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All Cummings Prize Winners

The Abbott Lowell Cummings Prize was first awarded in 1983.
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