Lives of Consequence
Mary Brush '88
Architect
Brush, known as the Building Doctor, promotes and protects the importance of the historical cityscape in her role as the Preservation Group Leader for the country's oldest architecture firm, Holabird and Root. A Chicago native, Brush is responsible for helping to restore the historical buildings that define the Chicago skyline, including the Rookery, Monroe and Gage Buildings.
With more than 10 years of experience in building restoration, Brush has to stay in shape in order to carry out her job. On a daily basis she is required to use a swing stage - a horizontal platform and guard rail that has a motor on each end and which moves up and down the outside of buildings. In some instances, however, she is unable to reach building towers or steeples using the swing stage. In these cases, she has to climb or rappel down the building on ropes like a rock climber.
An esteemed architect, she has been the recipient of many awards including the 2005 laureate of the Richard Morris Hunt Fellowship. This Fellowship is co-sponsored by the American Architecture Foundation and the French Heritage Society. One American architect is chosen every other year, and one French architect is chosen in the opposite year with the goal of fostering communication between restoration professionals in both countries. As the recipient of this honor, Brush took part in an intensive six-month exchange experience that showcased the latest scholarship and practice around historic preservation and architectural heritage.
Prior to working at Holabird and Root, she worked as the Director of Preservation at Klein and Hoffman, Inc., where she specialized in the technical elements of building preservation, rehabilitation, and restoration. She served as Senior Project Director and architect at Thornton Tomasetti, formerly LZA Technology, where she investigated, designed, and provided construction management services for the rehabilitation and restoration of existing building facades, windows, roofs, and envelopes. Prior to holding this position, she worked as an architect at Mayer Jeffers Gillespie, a small residential firm specializing in existing home modifications, loft design and development, and new construction.
Brush graduated with a B.A. in architectural studies from William Smith College, where she was a member of both the swimming and crew teams. She went on to earn her masters in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and another in architecture from the University of Chicago. She is a part of several prestigious organizations, including the Association for Preservation Technology Landmarks Illinois and the Chicago Architecture Foundation. She currently serves as a board member for the Illinois American Institute of Architects (AIA), and is a past board member of AIA Chicago.