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POWER LIST: ARCHITECTURE

Emerick Architects is a woman-owned firm best known for its work on historic buildings. The firm鈥檚 revitalization of the Sovereign Hotel was named 91视频 Project of the Year in 2018.

Principal and co-founder Brian Emerick said the firm was formed out of an idea to create great places, improve the community, and have fun. With a start primarily in housing, the firm focused on each design鈥檚 niche details and then brought that same attention to more commercial projects.

The firm still has a substantial residential studio with five to six people continually working on projects. The residential team also works with the commercial team on projects, which adds 鈥渁 different level of finish鈥� to the details, Emerick said.

When working on historic preservation efforts, Emerick said the aim is always to respect the bones of the building and then use them to help tell the design narrative. For the Sovereign Hotel, the design centered more on preservation, including re-creation of one of the sculpted entryways.

Currently, the firm is tailoring the historic Anna Mann House in Northwest Portland into 165 units of affordable housing.