A major ten-year strategic plan of one of the most high-profile firms on the East Coast is underway after Michael Graves Architecture & Design announced its acquisition of the smaller Waldon Studio Architects, which was founded in 2003.

The New York, Washington, and Princeton-based Graves is expanding its footprint further down the Northeast Corridor with the acquisition of the 39-member office, which has operations in Baltimore, DC, and in Howard County. 

Waldon had previously acquired another smaller Baltimore-based practice called Kann Partners in 2018 and is currently one of the largest firms in the city with $5.42 million in architectural billings reported for the year 2020, according to Baltimore Business Journals. Waldon’s founder and current principal, Ravi Waldon, will retain his title and serve as head of any religious projects for the new combined entity after the transition.

Graves’ brand has grown in the seven years since the architect’s death and will now look forward to the addition of Waldon’s expertise in specifically the healthcare, education, and spiritual sectors as it looks to further expand on its founder’s reputation for product design collaborations with brands like Target, Acme Studio, and most recently CVS. 

Now, the 58-year-old firm is in position to expand its offerings through the thoughtful continued maintenance of a “boutique feel” that MG’s President and CEO Joe Furey promised will never resemble “a corporate bureaucracy.”

“When approaching this acquisition, we set out looking for a company with a deeply rooted set of core values that we share, and we knew right away we had found this in Waldon Studio Architects,” Furey said at the end of a press announcement. “Our teams not only complement each other in our design approach and deep market sector knowledge but also through our shared values, particularly in our devotion to innovation, commitment to quality, and unwavering client service.”