About Donald

     I grew up in the Catskill Mountains of New York 10 miles from Kingston and right next to the town of Woodstock.  I think that being surrounded by woods and mountains gave me my lifelong appreciation of the outdoors and the need to care for the environment.   I knew I wanted to be an Architect from a young age.  I have included images of places and buildings that meant a lot to me growing up.  Not all of them are buildings in the traditional sense, but they all are part of the built environment and I can still remember the sense of wonder and excitement I felt being in these spaces.

     When it came time for college, I was eager to leave home and experience new things, so I decided to study architecture at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where I spent four years in the midst of Thomas Jefferson’s Lawn buildings and received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree. After graduation I worked for a few years starting on Nantucket Island and then in Annapolis Maryland before going to the University of Michigan to study for a Master of Architecture degree.  My time in Ann Arbor also led me to becoming a Michigan Wolverine football fan.

     After graduating from Michigan, I worked for over fifteen years as an architect for different firms in New York and New Jersey on a variety of building types, including hi-rise apartment towers, K-8 schools, museums, custom homes, and retail stores including CVS/pharmacy.  I have worked long enough as an Architect to have experienced many technological changes. I spent many years drawing by hand before making the switch to computer drawing.  I still remember the day our office got a fax machine and being amazed when the printout emerged.

     I have been running my own practice since 2008 specializing in new house construction and additions and light commercial projects.  As a sole practitioner, every project receives my undivided attention.  I do all my own drawings, from initial design concepts through construction documents.  If you ask me what I enjoy the most about being an Architect, I will say it is the satisfaction of creating something and knowing how my efforts have helped people.  I also enjoy the opportunity being an Architect affords me to meet different people.

     I am licensed to practice architecture in New Jersey and New York.  I am a LEED ap (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional) trained in energy efficient and sustainable design.  I also am a Certified Aging-in Place Specialist (CAPS) and a Certified Living-in-Place Professional, trained in making homes safe and accessible for people of all ages and abilities. 

     After my son (now a college student) was born, my wife and I moved from Queens New York to New Jersey to raise our family.  We have enjoyed becoming a part of the community in our town. I have served on our town’s School Board of Education, and I was Scoutmaster for my son’s Boy Scout Troop for eight years and have helped guide six of the boys to become Eagle Scouts.  I also volunteer on my town’s Environmental Green Team, helping to promote simple ways people can help our community and planet through things such as composting, gardening and use of rain barrels to harvest rainwater.

     For relaxation, I enjoy bicycling, visiting National Parks, scenic railroads, and Main Streets with my family, and listening to the music of Miles Davis, King Crimson, Nina Simone, J.S. Bach, Leo Kottke, and pretty much any music that came out in 1970.