KBJ Architects
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| Private | |
| Industry | Architecture |
| Founded | Jacksonville, Florida, United States (1946) |
| Founder | William D. Kemp Franklin S. Bunch William K. Jackson |
| Headquarters |
Thomas V. Porter House 510 Julia Street Jacksonville, Florida, USA |
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Key people
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William T. Morris, principal Tom Rensing, principal Craig Kirkwood, principal |
| Services | Architecture, Interior Design, |
| Revenue | $157.9 million (2005) |
| Website | www.kbj.com |
KBJ Architects, Inc. (KBJ) is an American architectural firm based in Jacksonville, Florida. The firm designed 17 of the city's 30 tallest buildings and "created Jacksonville's modern skyline", according to The Florida Times-Union newspaper. The firm designed the first high-rise in downtown Jacksonville, the 22-story Aetna Building, which opened in 1955. It took pride in "having the second-largest number of architects of any Florida firm", according to a 1997 article in The Florida Times-Union.
In addition to works in Jacksonville, KBJ has worked extensively throughout north and central Florida, and to a lesser degree throughout the southeast United States. Clients include international and private corporations, developers, institutions, public authorities, as well as federal, state, and local governments. The firm also developed the design standards for residential developments at the Deerwood Country Club and at Amelia Island Plantation north of Jacksonville. In Orlando, KBJ designed the First National Bank and Hartford Insurance buildings and three of the four airsides at Orlando International Airport; in Gainesville, the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house and Tigert Hall, the University of Florida Administration building; the Quarterdeck Club in Miami and the Occidental Life building in Raleigh.
Roy A. Benjamin (1888-1963) moved from Ocala to Jacksonville soon after the Great Fire of 1901 and designed many notable buildings in Jacksonville and surrounding areas. His most famous structures were theaters, although most of them have since been demolished. He was one of Jacksonville's most talented and prolific architects.
Three University of Florida alumni—William D. Kemp, Franklin S. Bunch and William K. Jackson—purchased Benjamin's architectural firm when he retired after World War II and renamed it Kemp, Bunch and Jackson in 1946. KBJ Architects has been in practice for more than 6 decades and is the oldest architectural firm in Florida. The company also maintains a branch office in downtown Orlando, Florida.
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Wikipedia