SYRACUSE - ''MacKnight Architects, LLP has relocated, but the firm didn't move very far.
The company's new home at 225 W. Jefferson St. in Syracuse is adjacent to the Jefferson Clinton Commons project construction site.
The ongoing project, for which the MacKnight firm is the architect, is one of the primary reasons for the short move in Armory Square, says Steven MacKnight, a principal at the firm.
"We have a job going on directly next door, which will make it easy for us to walk clients through that building," says MacKnight.
He says the Commons project represents the type of work his firm wants to be involved in - a facility that's mixed-use, multistory, environmentally friendly, and in a good location, he says.
MacKnight Architects had been operating in a 1,400-square-foot space at 313 S. Clinton St. since MacKnight and his brother, Bruce, founded the company in 1987.
Both felt it was time for a change, and they saw the Jefferson Street office as a better space and location.
"Most of our clients, our local clients, are developers and many are located here in this area," says MacKnight.
The Jefferson Street office opened for business on Aug. 1. The firm moved to its new home during the final week of July.
MacKnight had leased its 1,400-square-foot space at the South Clinton Street office from Donald Kirnan of Kirnan Real Estate of Salina. MacKnight wouldn't disclose the monthly lease amount.
MacKnight Architects owns a portion of the West Jefferson Street building with Jefferson Clinton Commons, LLC, although MacKnight wasn't able to say how much exactly.
He says the existing building came with the Jefferson Clinton Commons project, which is still under construction.
"Although they're two separate buildings, they're one contiguous site, as it turns out, so we back-filled some space that was available on the second floor," he says.
He's not certain if another tenant had previously occupied the space.
MacKnight believes the new office will help the firm grow its revenue and number of projects. He referred to the Jefferson Clinton Commons project as a "marketing device right here, basically on site" that the firm can use to show clients the type of work it can perform.
MacKnight employs six architects and currently has no plansfor additional hiring. But he points out his business is project-driven, and the firm will hire more architects as it lands more projects.
He wouldn't disclose the amount of revenue the firm generated in, 2007 or how much it projects to produce in 2008.In addition to its work on the Jefferson Clinton Commons, MacKnight Architects also provided design work for projects in the Franklin Square area of Syracuse, including the Lofts at Franklin Square at 525 Plum St., formerly the O.M. Edwards Building, which houses apartments, office space, and a coffee shop.
The firm also performed design work on The Foundry at 432 N. Franklin St., which is now used for office space.
Prior to starting the firm with his brother, MacKnight worked for his father at the former MacKnight Fuligni Fragola firm in DeWitt, which now operates under the name Bonacci Architects PLLC at 6320 Fly Road in DeWitt.
In addition to its work in Central New York, MacKnight Architects has also designed projects in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. Both Steve and Bruce MacKnight earned their master's degrees from the University of Utah, and Bruce had worked at a firm in Salt Lake City before returning to the Syracuse area to open the firm with his brother.
© 2008 Central New York Business Journal Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.
