Curran Architecture is proud to announce the newest member of our team, Grace Bartko!
Hailing from Southern Indiana, Grace’s interest in architecture began at a young age, thanks to encouragement from her parents and their family project of building a new house on a gorgeous piece of land.
“I was only 4 or 5, but I still really remember seeing how everything was coming together, digging the basement and pouring in the concrete,” Grace said. “It opened my eyes to the idea of space and design and how you build around people’s lives to create a home.”
While studying architecture at Ball State, Grace built on her love of placemaking by looking backward. Her minor in historical preservation truly cemented her idea that “When you’re in these historic buildings and spaces, it’s amazing how you can walk through a home or town and start to imagine what life might have been like!”
One college experience of note was during a class project, in which she was able to visit Wabash, a town that has been revitalized and refurbished, but without giving up that sense of place and story which Grace loves so much. She recalled visiting the old sheriff’s home, which doubled as the town jail.
“You could still see the iron door, and the food slot where the sheriff’s wife would deliver meals to the inmates,” she said. “I mean, that’s an entire story right there, in that one small feature!”
Though her summer after graduation was marred with uncertainty thanks to COVID-19, Grace found her way to us and said she was drawn to the team culture that we’ve built at the center of our approach. “I like teamwork,” she said. “I love collaborating and having people to talk through ideas. I don’t want to be stuck in a little box all day. Now I feel like I can tackle more, just thanks to the support and interactions with everyone here.”
Since joining the Curran team in August, Grace has worked on various projects, including a dentistry office, a convenience store, office spaces, and industrial warehouses. Though the work has been a lot, Grace has continued to handle every task with, well, grace.
“I like the project scopes because I like a little bit of everything. Some work I’m making corrections to existing plans. Other ones I’m adding in entirely new features. It’s a bit nerve-wracking, but that’s what makes it fun.”