Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

Type	Architects, Engineers, Materials Science
Founded	1956
Founder	Jack R. Janney
Headquarters	Northbrook, Illinois, United States
Number of locations	600 employees in 20 locations throughout the United States
Area served	United States and various international locations
Key people	William J. Nugent, president and senior principal; Gary J. Klein, executive vice president and senior principal
Website	www.wje.com

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) is an American corporation of architects, engineers, and materials scientists specializing in the investigation, analysis, testing, and design of repairs for historic and contemporary buildings and structures. Founded in 1956, WJE is headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, and has over 600 professionals in twenty offices across the United States. WJE personnel are specialized in architectural, structural, and civil engineering; materials conservation, chemistry and petrography, and testing and instrumentation.

Jack R. Janney originally established WJE in 1956 as Janney and Associates. Earlier that year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower enacted the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, authorizing the construction of over 40,000 miles of roads for the interstate highway system. Working for the Portland Cement Association (PCA), Janney was recognized for his knowledge of prestressed concrete by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and was offered a consulting position for a new construction project utilizing full scale load testing. During this time, Janney established his own firm with fellow engineer and neighbor Jack Wiss. In 1957, the company became Wiss and Janney Associates. In 1961, former PCA colleague Dick Elstner joined the company and it was renamed Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

Shortly thereafter, the United States National Academy of Sciences retained WJE to conduct full-scale load tests at the site of the 1964 New York World's Fair.

WJE participated in the reconstruction of the ill-fated TWA Flight 800, which exploded shortly after take off on July 17, 1996. The reconstructed aircraft segment was featured in many television news broadcasts and publications. Additionally, over a period of twelve years, WJE led a multidisciplinary team that assisted the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. with assessing and addressing issues of deterioration and obsolescence.