Local sites on list of top buildings & places TRENTON - - Eighteen Monmouth County sites have made the list of the state's 150 Top Buildings and Places compiled by The American Institute of Architects of New Jersey (AIA). The list was compiled from nominations received from throughout New Jersey's architectural and historical communities. The sites include several Red Bank landmarks, including the downtown business district. The list will serve as the basis for a publication as well as a Web-based data and resource center on architecture in New Jersey by the AIA, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary. "From Sussex County down to Cape May, New Jersey's architecture is more than just the shape of the structures we work and live in. It is an art form representing our hopes, our values and our dreams. In short, it is a reflection of us," said Edward N. Rothe, AIA 150 Champion. "With this in mind, each of the sites on the AIA of NJ's Top 150 Buildings and Places represents the finest architecture New Jersey has to offer." Monmouth County sites on the list include the Bluffs at Red Bank, the Twin Lights Lighthouse of Highlands, the Asbury Park Casino & Convention Hall, All Saints Memorial Church of Navesink, All Faiths Chapel of Manalapan, the Stone Pony and the Carousel House of Asbury Park, downtown Spring Lake, as well as the Essex & Sussex Hotel and St. Catherine's Church of Spring Lake, and Fort Hancock of Middletown. Also, the Great Auditorium and tents of Ocean Grove, Monmouth University campus in West Long Branch, First Presbyterian Church of Rumson, Bell Labs of Holmdel, Broad Street in Red Bank and the Red Bank downtown, as well as Ocean Grove's downtown area The full list includes sites from across the state including several buildings on the Princeton University campus, the state Capitol Complex in Trenton, the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, Liberty Hall in Union, and internationally recognized symbols such as Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty as well as New Jersey's iconic George Washington Bridge. Additionally, the AIA of NJ's Top 150 Buildings and Places will form the basis of an AIA Walking Tour of New Jersey booklet, to be released later this summer featuring detailed information about each site featured on the list. The Top 150 Buildings and Places is one of many initiatives marking the AIA's 150th anniversary. The AIA also recently launched AIA 150 Schools, an education-based program connecting 150 AIA/New Jersey members with sixth-grade students in their area to discuss the importance of architecture in our daily lives and the work of architects. "It is our hope that by cataloging the greatest architectural achievements of our state's past, we can inspire future architects to start dreaming about the accomplishments of tomorrow," Rothe said. The AIA is the professional organization that helps architects serve the public's needs and builds awareness of the role architects and architecture play in American society. The organization was founded in 1857 and AIA-NJ was formed in 1900.