As we begin another new year, we often reflect on our past, present and future: who we are and what we want to become. As NarmourWright enters 2018, our 45th year as a firm, we look back to our roots and how we arrived to where we are today, as well as what the future holds in the years to come. We are excited for what this milestone signifies – opportunities, growth, memories – and we look forward to celebrating this occasion with our friends, families and colleagues.
It Began with Reg
In 1973 Reg Narmour moved to Charlotte. No one could have predicted the potential of this thriving city at the time. Reg capitalized on the incredible growth of the “New South” and over the next twenty-five years he grew his regional architectural practice, the Reg Narmour Architectural Group, with offices in five cities from Virginia to Florida. His firm became the leader in housing, adaptive reuse and infill development in the mid-Atlantic southeast. Today nearly every multi-family architecture firm in the region can be traced back to roots that originated with Reg Narmour.
Tom and a New Tradition
After working for ten years in real estate development, Tom Wright opened his architectural practice, New Tradition Architecture, in 1988. Over the next decade Tom and Reg found themselves competing for the same projects. Curtis Sloop, a very talented designer who had worked with Reg since the early years, became the “matchmaker” and was instrumental in creating a wonderful partnership between the two companies. In 1998 Tom and Reg merged their two firms to create NarmourWright Architecture. In 2001 the firm added another partner, David Creech, who helped diversify the firm into areas such as Civic architecture. All of this occurred during another period of significant development in the region and growth of the firm itself. The partnership lasted about 7 years before Creech left to open his own practice during the Great Recession of 2008. Looking back, these developments spurred expansion into new market sectors and the addition of new & talented team members only adding to the firm’s depth and breadth of experience and capabilities.
A Unique Vision
For the next ten years Reg and Tom worked to create a unique architectural practice, known for its timeless and contextual design, tailored to their clients’ vision. Exceptional design has always distinguished the firm, as well as long-standing client relationships and the unique office culture. Signature projects include Atherton Mill and other significant South End historic mill adaptations, the Rosewood condominiums and the Olmsted Dilworth bungalows and apartments.
A New Generation
In 2007 Reg retired to further his career as an artist and to enjoy time with family. In the following years Tom strived to preserve the same attributes that had made the firm great. His tightly-knit staff fought through the Great Recession to rebuild the practice capitalizing on the success of new & old client relationships and noteworthy designs such as Kingsley Mixed Use, Graceway Baptist Church, Park & Kingston Apartments and the Lexington Dilworth; the latter project being recently recognized by the Great Charlotte Apartment Association as the 2017 New Community of the Year. Today, the 12-person firm is still operating in the historic South End neighborhood of Charlotte, NC with projects ranging from Multi-housing, Adaptive Reuse, Community, Commercial and Mixed-Use projects. Although the firm has continued to evolve to meet the changing landscape within the industry it has maintained its legacy of great culture and reputation for great design. A new generation, led by Ryan Carver and Krista Karlson, is currently paving the way to a promising future for NarmourWright Architecture, through new and creative contributions.
