Ashley McGraw Architects opens Washington, D.C. office, hires former employee to lead it

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Ashley McGraw Architects of Syracuse has opened a new office in Washington, D.C., which the firm is calling its Mid-Atlantic office.

Ashley McGraw also announced the hiring of Nicholas Williams, who will direct the new Mid-Atlantic office. Williams previously worked at Ashley McGraw from 2009 to 2015 with a focus on the K-12 and higher-education markets.

“We have learned that expansion often takes a combination of solid strategic planning with a strong dose of opportunism,” Matthew Broderick, president and CEO of Ashley McGraw Architects, said in a release. “With two other Ashley McGraw employees already based in Washington, D.C., and the strategic hiring of Nick Williams, it became clear it was the ideal time to start-up and establish an Ashley McGraw office in Washington, D.C., with the goal of building a portfolio of work in the mid-Atlantic region.”

During his earlier time with Ashley McGraw, Williams worked on projects that included the LEED Platinum-certified, new MacArthur Elementary School in Binghamton; LEED Gold-certified Le Moyne College Coyne Science building; and a project at Syracuse University’s Sadler dining hall, per the firm’s announcement. LEED is short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Upon relocating to Washington, D.C. in 2015, Williams worked at Perkins Eastman DC, PLLC for more than four years. He focused on K-12 projects in the Washington, D.C. area, both in the public and charter-school sectors.

In 2019, Williams joined the facility planning and design team for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), where he eventually assumed the role of director of facility planning and design for DCPS in June 2020. In that role, he oversaw the design and construction of the district’s major school renovation and new construction initiatives. They included net-zero energy schools along with the annual development of DCPS’ six-year capital-improvement plan.

“As a school designer, the opportunity I had at DCPS to truly learn the challenges that school districts face on a daily basis, by living the experience, was invaluable,” Williams said. “I very much look forward to bringing that perspective to our work at Ashley McGraw and to build on our existing portfolio of highly sustainable and pedagogically progressive K-12 work.”

Williams is a 2009 graduate of Syracuse University, having earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture. He is a registered architect in the District of Columbia and member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Ashley McGraw said.

Ashley McGraw Architects is headquartered inside Onondaga Tower at 125 E. Jefferson St. in downtown Syracuse.