Gold may not tarnish, but it can wear thin. When the American Institute of Architects failed to award a Gold Medal this December, it raised questions about the status of the honor, a valuable institute asset. Despite a decade of innovation and arresting architecture, 2003 will pass with no medalist, prompting the rhetorical question, “Was no architect worthy?” The time has come to revisit the award, to analyze the message it conveys, its selection method, and to probe its hardiness.

Since 1907, when the institute conferred its highest honor on Sir Aston Webb, RA, the winners’ list has grown to include an incomparable roster. In 2002, Tadao Ando joined a canon of architectural saints including McKim, Lutyens,Wright, Le Corbusier, Gropius, the Saarinens, Sullivan, Aalto, and Mies van der Rohe. Who could argue with such choices?