DETROIT, MI.- The American Institute of Architects Detroit Chapter is proud to announce that former mayor Dennis Archer, JD accepted the Charles Blessing Award at the Chapter’s Celebration of Architecture at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Dennis W. Archer put himself through college, graduating from Western Michigan University in 1965. His first job was teaching children with learning disabilities in the Detroit public school system. He attended law school in the evenings and, together with his wife, they both earned law degrees while working and raising their two sons.

Archer worked as a trial lawyer until 1986 when he was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court, a position he held until 1990. He was elected as mayor in 1993 and served two terms before returning to private practice.

Charles Alexander Blessing, FAIA was the most prominent figure in American city planning when he retired in 1974. He was an architect, engineer, artist, and planner who believed that Detroit should be a first rate city. In making this award AIA Detroit seeks to honor a person who shares Blessing’s vision of what a great city can be.

The American Institute of Architects Detroit, headed by Mark Nickita, AIA, of Birmingham, is a chapter of the 83,000 member national organization. The mission of the Honor Awards program is two fold, 1) to show the public “What Architects Do” and to inform about the value and importance of architectural excellence and 2) to enable architects to better understand notable achievements so that excellence becomes the standard.