Gantt Huberman Architects

Bergmann Associates acquired Gantt Huberman Architects, described as a 26-person architecture firm in Charlotte, N.C.; the acquisition was announced January 14, 2013. [nyrej.com] The acquisition was Bergmann's 12th regional office location and its first in the Carolinas, bringing Bergmann's total employee count to 375. [nyrej.com] Gantt Huberman Architects specializes in higher education, civic, and governmental design. [nyrej.com] As of the 2013 acquisition, Gantt Huberman Architects had 'over forty years of heralded work boasting many project and professional awards and honors.' [nyrej.com] Harvey Gantt, FAIA, and Jeff Huberman, FAIA, are named as partners and founders of Gantt Huberman Architects. [nyrej.com] Harvey Gantt and Jeff Huberman, on joining Bergmann. [nyrej.com] Bergmann planned to expand the Charlotte office's services into the Retail and Research & Manufacturing markets in the short term, and eventually into Transit and Transportation. [nyrej.com] A firm listed as 'Gant Huberman Architects' of Charlotte (as printed on this page, without the second 't' in 'Gantt') is named the 2006 winner of the AIA North Carolina Firm Award. [aiancawards.org] Harvey Gantt co-founded Gantt Huberman Architects in 1971 after moving to Charlotte. [www.ganttcenter.org] Gantt Huberman Architects is described as 'a pioneer in blending urban planning with the practice of architecture,' employing 'a diverse group of professionals who were charged with designing buildings that encourage community.' [www.ganttcenter.org] The firm developed some of Charlotte's most iconic landmarks, including the Charlotte Transportation Center, TransAmerica Square, ImaginOn, Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, and the Johnson C. Smith University Science Center. [www.ganttcenter.org] Gantt returned to Charlotte in 1971 to partner with Jeff Huberman in Gantt Huberman Architects. [www.ourstate.com] The firm 'focused not just on building structures but also on crafting larger designs that encouraged a strong sense of community.' [www.ourstate.com] Gantt Huberman's legacy 'is built into Charlotte's civic identity': the Charlotte Transportation Center, TransAmerica Square, ImaginOn, Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, and the Johnson C. Smith University Science Center. [www.ourstate.com] In January 2013 Bergmann Associates acquired Gantt Huberman Architects, then a 26-person architecture firm in Charlotte. It became Bergmann's twelfth regional office and its first in the Carolinas, taking the acquiring firm to 375 employees. [nyrej.com] Gantt Huberman specialised in higher education, civic and governmental design. The stated plan was for the Charlotte office to add retail and research and manufacturing work in the short term and transit and transportation later. [nyrej.com] Harvey Gantt, FAIA and Jeff Huberman, FAIA are named as the partners and founders of the firm, and are quoted jointly on the sale. [nyrej.com] The article gives the firm over forty years of work and notes that both partners had served in professional leadership roles, including Harvey Gantt's two terms as mayor of Charlotte from 1983 to 1987. [nyrej.com] Bergmann's CEO Tom Mitchell said the acquiring firm intended to keep the name. [nyrej.com] Harvey Gantt co-founded Gantt Huberman Architects in 1971, having moved to Charlotte after a Master of City Planning at MIT and a Bachelor's degree in Architecture taken with honors at Clemson in 1965. [www.ganttcenter.org] The Center's account describes the firm's method and its hiring. [www.ganttcenter.org] Buildings it attributes to the firm are the Charlotte Transportation Center, TransAmerica Square, ImaginOn, Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and the Johnson C. Smith University Science Center. [www.ganttcenter.org] Gantt had become the first African-American student accepted at Clemson University in January 1963, after a legal battle that reached the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. He joined Charlotte City Council in 1974 and was elected Charlotte's first African-American mayor in 1983, serving two terms. [www.ganttcenter.org] In 2009 the former Afro-American Cultural Center opened a new building and was renamed the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. Gantt wrote that he had hesitated at the naming and was convinced by Board Chair Earl Leake and others. [www.ganttcenter.org]

“We are thrilled to join the Bergmann family, a company that shares many of the values, principles and visions that Gantt Huberman Architects believes in.” [nyrej.com]

“We are thrilled to join the Bergmann family, a company that shares many of the values, principles and visions that Gantt Huberman Architects believes in” [nyrej.com]

“We plan to honor the Gantt Huberman Architects brand and reputation in the Charlotte region and invest in that office as we integrate the two companies.” [nyrej.com]

“A pioneer in blending urban planning with the practice of architecture, Gantt Huberman employed a diverse group of professionals who were charged with designing buildings that encourage community.” [www.ganttcenter.org]

“Being a man of tradition, I always felt it was more appropriate to name a building or street for someone after their passing, as a way to honor their work.” [www.ganttcenter.org]