The Landmark Award recognizes one distinguished landscape architecture project each year. The landscape must have been completed in the last 15 to 50 years, have retained its design integrity and been a significant addition to the local region.

In the late '60s, Pepsi looked for a new headquarters location and made the decision to move to 114 acres in Purchase, 45 minutes outside New York City. Back then, the land was sometimes used for polo. Purchase is a hamlet of Harrison in Westchester County and today is home to Purchase College, part of the State University of New York. MasterCard also has its headquarters in Purchase.

EDSA designed the landscape in 1970, blending the open spaces with sculptures, gardens and fountains that set a standard for corporate campus environments. A key component of the design separated the parking lot from the buildings, directing employees through the beautiful landscape on their way to their desks, a nice touch for employees.

Existing greenhouses on the property were maintained and grew all the annuals used on the property. Plants were also made available to employees.

The gardens have expanded over the years to include 45 large-scale sculptures of bronze, marble, steel, nickel, resin, granite and spruce, all selected by Pepsi CEO Donald Kendall.

The awards jury noted: "It marks one of the first times a great landscape had to deal with cars, and the relationship is extraordinary ... it's a masterpiece."

EDSA remained involved with the campus project 14 years after construction.

Previous recipients of the Landmark Award include the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Golden Gate National Recreation Area near San Francisco, Harvard University's Tanner Fountain and Charleston Waterfront Park.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation was founded in 1949.