Principal
John A. Martine, AIA
For over thirty years, John has produced work that addresses two of the most crucial issues facing American cities today – preserving architectural heritage and designing new buildings that fit gracefully into the historic urban context. He brings his appreciation of historic buildings to the design of new office buildings, institutions, and residential developments, assuring that timeless proportions and details are present. 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 – guided restoration initiatives not only on Pittsburgh's South Side, but in other historic districts as well. The National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized the resulting efforts on East Carson Street as its first urban entrant in its "Main Street" program.
John's recent work in the Pittsburgh region demonstrates how drawing upon the vocabulary of nineteenth-century buildings for the design of modern office and retail structures can evoke positive responses from the public's collective bank of imagery. Examples of this work include Equitable Resources and Del Monte Food's Pittsburgh Headquarters on Pittsburgh's North Shore and Blackbird Lofts in Lawrenceville.
John's projects have been rewarded with over 30 design awards at the state and local levels. Mifflin School, which earned a 2007 AIA Honor Award, is an excellent example of his expertise in strong contextual design. He has participated in over 100 seminars and conferences on historic preservation, neighborhood conservation, adaptive reuse, and 19th century style, and serves on boards and committees for the Victorian Society in America, the Society for Architectural Historians, and Preservation Pennsylvania. John recently served as the local chairman of the Society of Architectural Historian's Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh. John also participates in local architectural and design review committees and recently completed a six-year term on the Planning Commission of the City of Pittsburgh. A member of National Trust for Historic Preservation and currently serves on the Architect's Licensure Board of Pennsylvania, John earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame in 1962 and served in the United States Army Corps of Engineers from 1962–1965.