Principal
John A. Martine, AIA
A founding principal of Strada, John is a pioneer in both honoring the past and drawing upon it for the future. For over thirty-five years, he has produced work that addresses two of the most crucial issues facing American cities today: preserving buildings' heritages and developing new architecture that fits gracefully into the urban environment.
John is the lead design partner at Strada, and he mentors and oversees the firm's architects. He brings his preservationist sensibilities to the design of office buildings, institutions, and residential developments, assuring that timeless proportions and details are present. His work has been recognized with over 40 design awards, the majority of which are historic restoration, preservation, or adaptive reuse projects.
The 1978 publication of John's Streetfront and Storefront: A Planning and Program Guide for East Carson Street, a treatise on the principles and techniques of historic main street development, has guided restoration initiatives not only on Pittsburgh's South Side, but in other historic districts as well. The resulting efforts were recognized by the National Trust, which included East Carson Street as the first urban entrant in its "Main Street" program.
John's recent design work demonstrates how drawing upon the vocabulary of nineteenth-century buildings in modern office and retail structures can evoke responses from the public's collective memory. The basis of John's contextual design approach stems from his exhaustive study of Victorian-era society and architecture. He has long been involved with the Victorian Society of America, and during his twelve-year tenure as President of its Alumni Association, he led annual architectural study tours in numerous countries throughout North and South America and Europe.