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Merryman Barnes Architects broke ground in 1992 when it was founded as the first fully woman-owned architectural firm in the Portland-metro area. Nearly three decades later, another woman is now the sole owner.

Founding principals Nancy Merryman and Linda Barnes have turned over the reins of the 14-employee firm to Amy Palmer, a former associate principal.

鈥淲e’re actually delighted to see our firm continue and be woman-owned and give someone else an opportunity,鈥� Merryman said. 鈥淚 think (Palmer) has the enthusiasm and competitive spirit and vision and all the skills and talents. I think she has the complete package.鈥�

Palmer, a Washington State University graduate, began her architecture career with the firm (then Robertson Merryman Barnes) in 2006 as a designer before moving to Siteworks Design-Build a year later. She returned to Merryman Barnes in 2018 and was named associate principal in 2020, in part because Merryman and Barnes recognized her abilities as a leader.

鈥淲e had a thinking-ahead conversation with staff a few years ago where we asked where they see themselves in five years and 鈥楢re you interested in ownership?’鈥� Merryman said. 鈥淪ome said, 鈥楢bsolutely not.’ Other people said. 鈥榊eah, I’d be interested in that,’ and Amy was one of those people.鈥�

The transition is now complete, and Palmer is excited to see what the future holds, in spite of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淚 guess I’ve always been interested in firm ownership for many years now,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 do think I’m meant to be a leader, rather than a follower.鈥�

Robertson Merryman Barnes Architects was founded when Merryman, Barnes and Candace Robertson broke away from each of their respective firms to form their own. There were many reasons to do so, they recounted, but the pivot point turned out to be a 90-unit affordable housing project in Woodburn for nonmigrant farmworkers called Nuevo Amanecer, or New Dawn.

鈥淲e started our firm because we got an opportunity through a friend of Candace who started with us,鈥� Merryman said. 鈥淭hey had just changed laws in the state to develop affordable housing and we got an opportunity to interview for the project. We always joked we got the job because they couldn’t find a Hispanic firm.鈥�

The firm didn’t actually exist at the time the women interviewed, Barnes recounted.

鈥淲e told them if they hired us, we’d form a partnership 鈥� and that’s how it started,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think without that first job it would have taken us longer to pull things together.鈥�

The architecture field has come a long way in terms of equity since the early ’90s, Merryman said.

鈥淒rastically, I would say,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd especially in the last 10 years things have really changed. There is more flexibility 鈥� more for people having families. I will say neither Linda or I have any children. And when I have a group of about 10 women architect friends, for a long time none of us had any children. It was really not very conducive to having a family if you wanted to be in the architecture world, and I think that’s changed.鈥�

Palmer said she intends to encourage populations previously overlooked by the industry to consider pursuing such careers, perhaps through educational initiatives with local schools.

鈥淚’ve experienced personally the limitations of being a woman in this industry, and I’m thrilled to get the opportunity to carry on the legacy they created,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ven though we’re in a progressive bubble in Portland, nationally speaking that is just not the case, especially for people of color.鈥�

Palmer also is interested in potentially exploring how to take the firm in a nonprofit direction, in part to ensure employees have a healthy work-life balance.

鈥淚’m really interested in the people not as much as the product,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd to that end, architecture firms traditionally have had this culture of the 60- or 70-hour workweek, and I can’t tell you how much I’m not in favor of that.鈥�

Happy, well-rested employees are more productive, Palmer said, adding that she plans to encourage staffers to pursue creative outlets and bring them to the workplace. Or she might even adopt a four-day workweek.

鈥淎s Nancy and Linda paved the way for women, I intend to pave the way for health in everyone involved in our business,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e’ll see how it goes. It’s certainly against the grain and it won’t be received well by the establishment. But I’m kind of antiestablishment at my core anyway, and I can’t really go against that.鈥�

Currently, Merryman Barnes works in a variety of design genres, but Palmer hopes to refine that focus in the coming years.

鈥淚’m really interested in affordable housing structure and other built ways to nurture those in need,鈥� she said. 鈥淚’d like to see us become specialists in the next five years or so because I’m passionate about diversity and inclusion, and I’d like to discover or create markets that encourage or assist members of Portland’s BIPOC community who are seeking architectural services or other underdogs. I want to work with those people.鈥�