Tom Gardner moved his home and business to an acreage overlooking the Maquoketa River in this community just a stone’s throw from Backbone State Park, in order to “do small things for small people.”
It’s not meant in a disparaging way at all, the rural Strawberry Point architect said. Most of his projects, he said, are scattered around in communities across northeast Iowa.
“I love small towns and the lifestyle there,” said Gardner, 47, who grew up on the edge of Waterloo. “This is a great place to raise our family–away from all the hubbub of the city, and a great place to have our practice.”
The only hubbub on a recent day came from workers renovating an old, red barn that will become Gardner Architecture’s offices this spring.
Gardner knew there was some risk in establishing his firm on a rural farmstead an hour’s drive from Cedar Rapids, Waterloo and Dubuque.
“People had to be convinced. They didn’t know many architects in small towns,” he said. “It’s taken a long time to become known not as a wild man in the woods. I think that was their perception.
“I came out here to really work with people and you do that in small towns,” he said.
Since making the move in 1980, Gardner has designed numerous community centers, fire stations, day care facilities and public libraries. He occasionally designs a home. Currently, he is designing a corporate office and is involved in designing the African-American cultural center in Waterloo.
Gardner grew up in his father’s construction business and worked for the company after studying architecture at Iowa State University.
“I was always interested in design,” he said. “Even as a youngster I had a sense and feel for space and color. That translated into architecture.” He loves the art side of architecture, but his designs are very practical: “It’s fun to explore color, space, height and volume.”
“We don’t do anything avant-garde,” Gardner said, referring to his firm, which includes a second architect and two designers who work on computers. “I like to break buildings down into clusters to keep them on a people scale.”
He prefers timber and brick for building materials, and Gardner’s buildings, which often include porches and columns, have a timeless or traditional look.
“There was a time when buildings had defining characteristics,” he said.
“We’ve lost that. Now the library looks like the doctor’s office, which looks like the community center and so on.”
Rather than build a generic structure, he tries to help community groups understand the value of what they are building.
“When it’s all done, we want the people in the community to be proud of it,” he said. “We try to compliment wherever we are and not just land something.”
