Photo © Ezra Stoller | Esto (left); Photo © James Ewing | OTTO (right)
In 1936, a small architectural firm was founded in Chicago, Illinois, by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings. Three years later, they would be joined by John O. Merrill, their initials forming an acronym that would become synonymous with skyscrapers, the International Style and global architectural practice. 80 years on, that trio of architects has transformed into one of the world’s largest and most well-known firms, having completed over 10,000 projects across more than 50 countries…
To celebrate the firm’s anniversary year, Architizer spoke to three key Partners—T.J. Gottesdiener, Roger Duffy, and Gary Haney—about the firm’s origins, its extraordinary evolution over the decades and its big ambitions for the future.