GEORGE B. LEWIS, LEADING ADVOCATE FOR

ELIMINATION OF ARCHITECTURAL

BARRIERS, DIES

Oklahoma City Architect George B. Lewis, FAIA, saw that the Cox Convention Center, formerly the Myriad Gardens "was and is one of the most easily accessed buildings in the country," writes Henry.

Photo taken from the web by the blogger

By Pam Henry, Chair

     Mayor's Committee on Disability Concerns

A Memorial Service is scheduled at 1 p.m., Friday, January 6, for Oklahoma City Architect George B. Lewis, FAIA. The service will be in the sanctuary of St. Luke's United Methodist Church at 222 NW 15th Street in Oklahoma City. Lewis died in the OKC Veterans Administration Hospital Saturday, December 31, 2011 of heart problems after being hospitalized last Thursday.

George was recognized by the American Institute of Architects as the leading advocate in the United States for the elimination of architectural barriers for people with disabilities. He served as Chair of the OKC Mayor's Committee on Disability Concerns for thirty years, from 1975 to 2005. The architect helped write the landmark national Americans with Disabilities Act. Lewis was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He helped see that the Cox Convention Center, formerly the Myriad Convention Center, was and is one of the most easily accessed buildings in the country. George lead efforts to build accessible ramps to enter the OKC City Hall and the Oklahoma State Capitol. He received numerous city, state and national awards for his work on behalf of people with disabilities. He also worked on the annual ADA workshops for architects, engineers and building managers sponsored by the OKC Mayor's Committee on Disability Concerns. In 2005, the committee gave George a rare Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of hard word.

"We on the OKC Mayor's Committee on Disability Concerns already miss George's guidance on architectural barrier elimination for people with disabilities. Our thoughts and prayers are with George's widow, Nan Lewis and his son, Paul Lewis, an architect in Washington, D.C. and daughter-in-law Laura," said OKC Mayor's Committee on Disability Concerns Chair Pam Henry.

For more information about the OKC Mayor’s Committee on Disability Concerns, visit the website at: http://www.okc/gov/council/disability_concerns.

City of Oklahoma City, Mayor’s Committee on Disability Concerns

http://www.okc.gov/

The committee meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7:30 a.m. at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 222 Northwest 15^th, room 203. 

Taken from her posting on my Facebook page