Hisaka, Don M.

Don M. Hisaka is associated in Columbus, Indiana, with the Bartholomew County Jail, completed in 1990. Known for architecture that is inventive yet carefully scaled to its surroundings, Hisaka developed a body of work that ranged from academic and cultural buildings to civic and commercial projects in the United States and abroad. Hisaka studied at the University of California, Berkeley, earned a master’s degree in architecture from Harvard, and later taught for many years at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In Columbus, the Bartholomew County Jail reflects his ability to give a highly functional civic building a distinctive architectural presence, using an oval form and a wire-mesh recreation dome while maintaining visual harmony with nearby public buildings. Hisaka’s honors include the Cleveland Arts Prize, a Progressive Architecture National Citation Award, and the Cornerstone Award.

Columbus, Indiana projects
• Bartholomew County Jail, 543 Second Street, 1990.

Honors
• Cleveland Arts Prize for Architecture, 1970.
• Progressive Architecture National Citation Award, 1971, for the Mansfield Art Center.
• Cornerstone Award, 1991, for 1150 18th Street NW in Washington, D.C.