“What I’d like to leave behind is a creative spirit. To be seen as a person who led the way for others to think differently.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex64t36Uj6M
From a small all-girls college in Philadelphia to the University of Virginia at Charlottesville to 5th Avenue in Naples, Andrea Clark Brown has held onto her creative spirit, her positive attitude and her desire to bring joy to others.
Brown was the architect for major civic downtown Naples landmark buildings including: The Sugden Community Theater, 5th Avenue Plaza and two highly praised municipal parking facilities serving the Naples downtown area. Her recent design of St. Agnes Catholic Church in Naples resulted in the church being named one of Florida’s Best 100 Buildings in 100 Years by the State American Institute of Architects.
Brown has helped shape major planning projects in Naples supporting the renovation of the commercial downtown and has served as chair of the Naples Planning Advisory Board.
Perhaps it was her undergraduate advisor that set Brown on her course for success. When she told her advisor that she wanted to study architecture, Brown recalls that her advisor cautioned her saying “It’s a very tough world for women. On construction sites you might be treated poorly. You’ll have difficulty communicating. Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” Brown’s response, “This is just what I want to do. Let’s break through the barriers.” She never looked backed working on projects in New York City, teaching at Syracuse University and designing a house for her parents in Naples.
Brown is a breast cancer survivor who says that through her treatment “people were so unbelievably good to me. I’m going to spend the rest of my life repaying that.”
She defines success as “making a difference by working hard. I define it as truly giving one’s best.”