Salem College's McHugh Sisters Flats was recognized with a Community Appearance Award at a ceremony held in the James A. Gray Auditorium at the Old Salem Museums & Gardens Visitor Center on June 8, 2016.

The $6 million, 32,000-square-foot apartment-style residence for students was designed by CJMW Architecture and constructed by Frank L. Blum Construction Company in partnership with the leadership of Salem Academy and College.

McHugh Sisters Flats is the first new student housing construction at Salem in fifty years.

“We are profoundly honored to receive this award,” said Dr. D. E. Lorraine Sterritt, president of Salem Academy and College. “In addition to providing a wonderful new facility, the building has already had a dramatic impact on admissions: we have received over 1,000 applications for next year, the highest figure in our long history.”

The award was bestowed on Salem College's McHugh Sisters Flats by the Community Appearance Commission which sponsors a biennial awards program to honor the efforts of businesses, individuals, and community groups who have had a positive impact on the appearance of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. According to the Commission, “These awards recognize those individuals whose thoughtful design and maintenance of our built and natural environment play a significant role in creating the high quality of life we value in our community.”

The selection criteria for the Community Appearance Award are as follows:

• Contributes significantly to the improvement of community appearance;
• Exhibits a high standard of excellence in design;
• Preserves or restores desirable natural features of the site or area; and/or
• Develops a noteworthy process of community involvement, which has brought about an improvement in the character and appearance of the community.