Hidden Gems: Meet Jim “JP” Ptacek of Larsen Architects

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim “JP” Ptacek.

Hi Jim “JP”, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hard to believe it all started with a pink flamingo costume…

Back in the summer of 1991 I got a summer job working for Mary Poldruhi, the owner/founder of Parma Pierogies, on Ridge Road in Parma, Ohio. In addition to bussing tables, cooking orders and working the register, I did occasionally don the large, pink flamingo costume (with white socks and sneakers) and flap around in front of the store on Ridge Road to bring in customers. Since I was an architecture student, Mary shared the drawings for the restaurant-build out that a local architectural firm, Larsen Architects had done for her. She shared that Jim Larsen was a really nice person – and encouraged me to submit a resume on my next Co-op rotation, and “Maybe you’ll end up designing my other restaurants”

Not surprisingly – I did submit a resume, got an interview, and ultimately got hired as a co-op in the fall-winter of 1992. I had 2 semesters left to graduate – with my final semester abroad as part of the University of Detroit’s Italy Program. Turns out I had apparently left a good impression, as some of my co-workers had called my folks to ask when I was coming back from my semester abroad, and if I had a job lined up yet.

I re-submitted a resume in September of 1993, had another interview, and got hired on full time…

Jim Larsen had started Larsen Architects back in the fall of 1981 – after working at two other Cleveland area architectural firms, Dorsky & Associates and Herschman Architects. Jim founded Larsen Architects based on taking the ‘best’ of those bigger firms, and applying them to a smaller firm format. When I joined the firm, we were in the recently renovated former dining room (originally called the Nautilus Room) of the Lakeshore Hotel, a beautiful, art-deco inspired building built as the ‘finest hotel between New York and Chicago’ in 1929. It functioned as a hotel for about 20+ years – and transitioned into a senior apartment building in the 1950’s, and renamed Lakeshore Towers. We were a quiet co-user to the main residential focus of the rest of the building. We enjoyed the large arch top windows that overlooked downtown and the lake with 12′ ceilings. It was a grand, open space, with workspaces around the perimeter and a central conference room that overlooked the perimeter workspaces.

After successfully running projects and taking on more responsibility over the years, Jim named me Principal in 2017. We started discussions about what a leadership transition might look like in a few years as Jim entertained passing the baton and considering what his own retirement might look like…

In late 2019 – we decided to consolidate the office to a smaller space we had previously updated/renovated for another office user on the same side of the building. Timing of the move was fairly fortunate – we had upgraded some of our technology to enhance our remote access as part of the move. We moved the office ‘down the hallway’ in the fall of 2019. Early in 2020, we started hearing rumblings about a possible pandemic. Of course, those rumblings became reality and in March of 2020 – we all went remote. A year or two later, as things started to return to our ‘new normal’ – Jim decided to formally transition the company at the end of 2022. Starting January 1st 2023 – I became the new owner of Larsen Architects – and Jim started a slow transition into his well deserved retirement…

Mid 2023 – I found an opportunity to purchase a building and consider a move out of Lakeshore Towers and have a street presence for the office for the first time since 1988. We moved to a cute, 2-story, brick building built in 1962. We took the space back to the walls and started from a blank slate to create our new home.

We were able to move the office over before the start of 2024 – and had an official grand opening in May of 2024 with an official ribbon cutting with both the Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor in attendance…

We’ve been in the new space for about a year and a half now… It’s a bit hard to believe as we get close to our 44th year in business and the start of my 33rd as a Larsenite, for how quickly the time has flown by… What started out as a suggestion for a future opportunity has turned into a career that I could never have imagined, standing there, flapping my wings in a pink flamingo costume on the side of Ridge Road in Parma. For what it’s worth – and as Mary had foretold back in 1991 – I did get to do the drawings for two of Mary’s other Parma Pierogis restaurant locations – and we’re still in touch all these years later…

It’s been a wild but memorable ride thus far… Now I get to imagine what the next chapter ahead for Larsen Architects looks like. I’m excited to see the difference that all the talented staff of current Larsenites will do in the local community and larger region… and who knows, maybe there’s a young architectural student out there now, who might take an encouraging suggestion and share a similar story in the years to come…

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The past 30 years have had some ups and downs… Architects tend to be the canaries of the economy – so we’ve had our share of downturns that have been challenging… From the post 2001 dot com downturn to the great recession of 2007-2009 – there have been very lean times. Like many firms, we have had a few ‘breach of trust’ issues with a few clients and employees – but those are certainly the exception to the rule for most of our firm’s history. Clients move, relocate or simply change/scale back their expansion & development programs, but we’ve been lucky enough to find new opportunities and get referred to new opportunities and clients based on our solid track record and body of work.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Larsen Architects?
We have been a Lakewood, Ohio based practice since being founded in 1981. We were founded on a philosophy of doing good work and treating people well, both our clients and the individuals at the firm. We differentiate ourselves with the idea that we work ‘with’ our clients, not just ‘for’ them… We take a lot of pride in trying to see things from the client’s perspective. We help to understand what their needs and goals are – and find ways of co-collaborating to bring their vision to reality.

I’m probably most proud of the fact that we tend to pick up friends rather than clients over time – folks we’ve worked with over the decades have become trusted, personal, relationships, rather than just client names on a list

We have focused on what we believe is a great firm size of 10-12 staff members – large enough to take on some really big projects, and small and nimble enough to also help with projects that other firms might turn down as ‘too small’ or ‘not worth it’. It also allows us some flexibility to take on projects that might “make a substantial difference” vs. “make a substantial profit” – but can help build a stronger community and a better world.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I tend to be ‘on’ quite a bit – so I find I am better when I unplug from work – and either just listen to music on a morning jog around Lakewood, or on my walk to work (I live about a mile from the office, so I often just ‘get my steps’ being a pedestrian to and from work.) I also enjoy gardening in my small Lakewood back yard (and canning the results if I’m blessed with an abundance). I also enjoy travel when I can, as the world opens up when you see more of it – and get to take in new ideas and get to see how others live, work and play…

Pricing:

• hourly rates range from $75 to $150 hour depending staff experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.larsenarchitects.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/larsen-architects