Ayers Saint Gross - History

History

Ayers Saint Gross is the successor firm to Sill, Buckler & Fenhagen, founded in 1912 and known as the designer of Baltimore City College. Gunts, Edward. “Getting to be big firm on campus,” Baltimore Sun, March 5, 2000. In 1938, the original partners hired Richard “Dick” Ayers whose employment was interrupted by World War II when he served in the Navy and toured Japan as a member of the Strategic Bombing Survey. Ayers returned to Buckler and Fenhagen and in 1955, he and Julius Meyer took over the firm. They were joined by Kelsey Saint, a Yale classmate, and the partners went on to design Shriver Hall, the Newton White Athletic Center and the Milton S. Eisenhower Library on the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus. In 1984, Adam Gross was recruited to the firm. Under his leadership, Ayers Saint Gross became one of the most honored design studios in Maryland. Gunts, Edward. “Getting to be big firm on campus,” Baltimore Sun, March 5, 2000.

Gross and principal Jim Wheeler, who joined the firm in 1987, Gainor, Cathy. “40 under 40,” Baltimore Business Journal, September 17, 1993 repositioned the firm to focus on college and university work. They based this shift on the growing need for campus design expertise in response to the children of baby boomers flooding higher education. Walker, Childs. “Expansion of Baltimore architectural firm fueled by focus on colleges,” Baltimore Sun, August 8, 2011 That strategy led to the firm’s rapid growth. The firm opened offices in Baltimore, Maryland, Tempe, Arizona, and Washington, D.C.