The Boston cityscape would be very different without CBT Architect’s founding principal Richard Bertman and that fact was celebrated with a dinner in his honor at Hamersley’s in the South End Monday evening. Richard and his team have designed many major buildings here and worldwide. But Richard has also been a driving force in preserving historic structures and neighborhoods through his work with the Boston Preservation Alliance, the Back Bay Architectural Commission and South End Landmarks Commission, says Boston Center for the Arts chairman Philip Lovejoy,  who hosted the dinner.

Richard and CBT are known for major Boston buildings like 111 Huntington Ave (above), Trinity Place, Atlantic Wharf, and 200 Newbury St as well as for the redesign of the Prudential Center. He's also driven the restoration and renovation of historic buildings: the Ames Webster House, Suffolk County Courthouse, and Thomas Crane Public Library. An accomplished artist, Richard creates thoughtful, sometimes whimsical, sculptures in wood and metal. His academic credentials include degrees from Harvard, MIT and UC Berkeley. What impressed Richard Monday is that Gordon Hamersley could create a delicious dinner to accommodate his new diet of no animal-based food or oil. “Gordon is amazing,” Richard says.