Page & Turnbull announced the elevation of architect and principal Carolyn Kiernat, FAIA, to Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The AIA’s highest membership honor given to less than 3 percent of its members, the prestigious FAIA designation recognizes Kiernat’s exceptional work and contributions to architecture and society.

The firm also has announced the promotion of Sarah E. Brummett, AIA, director of the preservation architecture studio to Associate Principal. In addition, the firm’s Associate Principal Flora Chou, LEED AP, a senior architectural historian and cultural resources planner, has been elevated to director of the firm’s Los Angeles office.   

“Carolyn Kiernat’s rise to Fellow of the AIA is well deserved and a testament to her exceptional support of communities through the preservation of significant historic buildings,“ says Page & Turnbull president Peter Birkholz, AIA, LEED AP, DBIA. “We are also proud to promote Sarah Brummett and Flora Chou for their excellence in elevating and safeguarding historic structures. Their work amplifies our firm’s commitment to strengthening communities through innovative architectural solutions in adaptive reuse, rehabilitation, and cultural resources planning.”

Along with these recognitions, Page & Turnbull has announced that more than a dozen of the firm’s rising stars have also been promoted. These include eight elevations to senior associate and four to associate, along with the advancements of three cultural resources planners, two preservation specialists, and management and finance positions.   

Page & Turnbull’s extensive portfolio of award-winning restoration and historic preservation projects encompasses the recent adaptive reuse of Sacramento’s former Capitol Park Hotel into St. Clare at Capitol Park supportive housing, the reimagining of the historic Crest Theatre into the new UCLA Nimoy Theater in Los Angeles, and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, an adaptive reuse project in Riverside, California. Other projects include the rehabilitation of and addition to the Glenn County Courthouse in Willows, Calif., and the city of Santa Barbara, California’s African American/Black Historic Context Statement. 

Carolyn Kiernat, FAIA, Principal

An architect committed to the transformation, reuse and renewal of historic structures, Kiernat is expert in balancing new designs with complex regulatory requirements for historic buildings. Her dedication to the transformation, reuse and renewal of historic structures is demonstrated through her work as a prime architect and preservation consultant on major adaptive reuse projects, including the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio of San Francisco and The Tioga, a multifamily residential conversion in Merced. With an educational background in architecture and materials conservation, Kiernat meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Architecture and Historic Architecture. She has specialty expertise in the federal tax certification process. Kiernat joined Page & Turnbull in 1997.

Sarah E. Brummett, AIA, Associate Principal, Preservation Architecture Studio Director

Brummett joined Page & Turnbull in 2015 and serves as the director of the firm’s preservation and architecture studio. An architect, architectural historian, and materials specialist with domestic and international experience in historic preservation, Brummett engages the dynamic relationships between historic architecture and landscapes. Her work meets the challenges of ensuring security and accessibility in historic buildings operating in modern times. As an architectural historian with a science and technical background, Brummett is noted for seamlessly synthesizing the experiential, temporal, and structural aspects of the built environment. Her work comprises a wide range of scales, materials, and building types, including current projects at the Grand Canyon. Brummett holds a Master of Architecture and Historic Preservation Certificate from the University of Virginia, and she has previously worked in historic preservation for Jacobs Engineering.

Flora Chou, LEED AP, Associate Principal, Los Angeles Office Director

An Associate Principal, architectural historian and cultural resources planner with Page & Turnbull, Chou directs the architecture and historic preservation firm’s Los Angeles office. Proficient in determining a site’s historic status and critical presence in cityscapes, and long-term preservation success, her expertise encompasses preparing detailed historic and technical reports key to preserving cultural icons, advancing modern sensibilities, and upholding communities’ ongoing diversity. By integrating preservation principles with urban planning, sustainable design, and community development, Chou promotes guideposts for advancement, including for the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), Context Statement, State of California, 1850 - 1979; Survey LA Citywide Historic Context Statement, Context Korean Americans in Los Angeles, 1905-1980; Santa Barbara African American / Black Historic Context Statement, 1769 to ca. 1980; and City of Glendale historic contexts study, East and West Asian communities. Chou holds a master's degree in historic preservation from Columbia University and is board member of Docomomo US. Prior to joining Page & Turnbull in 2013, she was a preservation advocate for the Los Angeles Conservancy.