Celebrating 35 Years in Architecture
Happy Saturday everyone!
A couple quick reminders. First, don’t forget to catch my
singing of the National Anthem this coming Monday, March 6th at 1pm at
Scottsdale Giants Stadium in Old Town. http://charros.com/spring-training-baseball/ I’m
looking forward to singing for the third time. I am really looking forward to
this third time as the butterflies are a lot less! Let me know if you need any
tickets to the Scottsdale Charro Lodge
for any of the games!
Ok today is a very special
day for me! 35 years ago, on March 4th, 1982 I started my first day of my
career in architecture! We had a fun little celebration yesterday morning and I
want to thank all of those who stopped by out of their busy days for a bite
from our omelet bar accompanied by a Bloody Mary or mimosa!
So 35 years….I remember that first day like it was yesterday. I
was 21 years old and had been working at Schuff Steel as a steel detailer
drafting billboards. In fact, I did detail the largest billboard in the country
at Anaheim Stadium in California. But my billboard detailing career was short
lived as they put a moratorium on billboards and I was out of a job in the middle
of the 1982 recession. So I was on the streets, recently married, trying to get
enough funds to get back to architecture school at ASU. Things weren’t looking
too go until I saw an ad in the paper for a draftsman position at the firm of
George W. Christensen and Associates.
designed office on the southwest corner of 24th
Street and Campbell where George Christensen and his crew had their offices. I
really wanted this job as George was an associate professor at the school of
architecture at ASU and so I knew this was the key to my future and a job I
just had to get at all cost. I didn’t have much of a portfolio (other than
billboards which I didn’t think was going to make a big impact) so as soon as
the time and date of my interview was set I ran home and starting creating
drawings from my architecture drafting books. I really didn’t know what I was
drawing but I can tell you the drawings were well executed. 
I got up early that big day and was greeted by Dianne Kleber who
was running the front desk (running the office!) and she brought me into the
conference room which is still one of my favorite spaces. What was a
living and dining room with a beautiful
plaster fireplace with of course a Lon Megargee painting above. Of course at
that time I had no idea what I was doing or who Lon Magargee was but here I was
sitting in front of these serious architects. I was 21, hair down to my
shoulders, and hoping this would be my big break. I went through my drawings
and then it came down to the question of what did I want to be paid? Luckily, I
was really hungry and wanted this job, so I countered with, “Look, this is the
place I want to be. I can draw anything and love working so I would be happy to
come here, do whatever you need me to do or draw and I will gladly take
whatever you want to pay me for the work!”
The interview went well I thought and I followed up with a
nicely written letter and I then waited by the phone – no email in those days!
A week or so went by and then I got that call that changed my life forever.
Dianne Kleber called and said well Markle Sparkle you got the job. When can you
start….of course I said I can be right over! How special it was yesterday to
have Dianne Kleber at our little celebration! What a special lady she is! We
worked together at Christensen’s office and then she worked with my at my firm,
Candelaria Design Associates for several years! I have been so blessed to have
this lady in my life!
That first day was very memorable also. I was the last desk on
the row of drafting tables in the studio. Dick Miller, Verner Wulf, John
Williams, Brain Cassidy and then me – the new kid in the studio. First task was
to set up my drafting table. I had no idea how to set up my mayline (rolling
straight edge) and fiddled with it for a while when Brain turned to me and
said, “let me help you Junior!” That nickname stuck for a number of years!
Brian got me all set up and between him and Dick Miller, who ran the production
of the office, they mentored me along and were instrumental in my development
of becoming an architect.
Some of my first projects was the Van Houten Residence in
Paradise Valley with Gerald and Jerry Meek of Desert Star Construction. http://desertstarconstruction.com and the
Paradise Valley United Methodist Church sanctuary on Lincoln and then the Casa
Blanca Phase 2 Patio Homes in 1984 which I was now the project manager and in
charge of putting that project together. Then throw in the Enchantment Resort
in Sedona where I was the project manager and the Castle Hot Springs project. My
career was off and running.
Well after 5 years I had moved up from “Junior” who was willing
to work for anything to becoming George Christensen’s partner and the formation
of CCBG which still exists today. During those years, I never made it back to
ASU for architecture but at the savvy recommendation of George, I did go to the
College of Business where I studied accounting, finance, business law and of
course my favorite, marketing! I also then had the time under my belt to
qualify to take the architecture registration exams which I did and received my
license in 1992. So this September will mark 25 years as a registered
architect. Add another twelve years and
George was ready to retire and so it was my time to head out on my own and form
Candelaria Design in August of 1999. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxZhUT_kc7s
So now some 35 years and some 100,800 hours later I have
designed well over 1000 homes all across the country, Mexico and Canada. We are
celebrating our 18th year of Candelaria Design and I am proud to
have a team who was there at the beginning, namely my associate, Vivian Ayala,
16 years and Jeffrey Kramer, AIA some 17 years.
As we all know, nobody does everything on their own and I have
been blessed to work with so many talented architects, amazing clients, and
phenomenal builders and craftsman who have been so instrumental in bringing
these inspirations and visions to reality. I was always fortunate to have
designing and drawings as part of my soul and makeup and to see where it has
taken me is beyond my wildest imagination. I had no idea when I wandered into
that office on 24th Street where the journey would lead me. However, to remind me of that start at the
old 24th Street Office, I did find a Lon Megargee print of the A-1 Beer
painting the "Cowboy's Dream" that hangs in my home studio. George
loved that print and so do I!
Thank you to everyone who has been and continues to be a part of
my journey, which despite the rumors, I have not retired and continue to work
some 70 hours every week. I’m usually u
Here is to the next 1000 homes! OK back to the boards I go!
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