Let’s Start Here. The Architect as Developer path is not a popular or often traveled one for architects – for a variety of reasons. But for the few of us out there, it’s important for those of us who have made the leap to share and help carve a path for the next generation. I learned from the guys before me that became my mentors – so I think it should continue.
As part of that – I’m not one to wax poetical and bs how great everything is – you can listen to others do that. Being successful in two different fields is hard – and I’m one to be direct and to the point. Not being direct, being passive aggressive or aloof will get you eaten alive in real estate. Do what you say and say what you do.
Since beginning my career and over the course of the last twenty plus years, I have been involved in the design and development of over a million square feet, and over 100 residential units in New York City and the outer boroughs. It’s been a mix of ground up construction and value add work, coupled with a mix of condominium and rental development.
The path was not easy, and took a long time to figure out the way and business model that best worked for me. I’ve had projects succeed by wild margins, and I have had some fail miserably. Early in my career – I’ve seen many developers succeed, but I also saw a lot more (many of the guys that I came up learning from) go out of business. I learned early that real estate is a game of detail and risk – if you slip, the result can end your career.
I studied and learned as much as I could from the architects who were developers back then. I had to learn how to do a deal, unlearn a lot of what I learned at architecture firms, and then I had to learn how to build a business that can thrive through market cycles.
Mortar Group was created in my search to understand the Architect as Developer dynamic. While the business model has evolved and matured over the years, I never could have imagined how it would have evolved, and how it became much more than that original Architect as Developer concept.
Mortar grew in to a vertically integrated firm, growing past just the two disciplines, but also becoming contractors, property managers, and most importantly- a trusted source for individuals looking to invest capital and build their own investment portfolio.
Our goal grew beyond that of just an architect building a few of his own projects, but to try and create our own version of private real estate investing with a personalized, boutique approach tailored to meet the unique goals of every investor – offering a hands on expertise that larger firms simply can’t match.
The focus of this new series of posts will act as a start point for others that are looking to begin on this journey, and share some of the things i learned along the way. My way is far from the only way (or the right way) – there are many other architects doing great development work with different approaches and goals, so take my two cents for what it is.
Let’s go!
PS – For what it’s worth, if you’re interested in learning more about the subject, start with these two pillars of the field. The godfather of the field – John Portman and next up is the GOAT – Jonathan Segal. Study everything they did (and how) and go from there.