Browning Day announces the retirement of John Dierdorf, one of the original architect partners of the firm. It is with a combination of happiness for him and sadness for us that he is moving on to the next phase of his life. Please join us in celebrating John and the great gifts he gave to Browning Day, the State of Indiana, and the architectural landmarks that have come to shape and identify our community.
A designer of possibilities
John Dierdorf joined a small but talented team at Browning Day in 1974, where he quickly became key in the creation of the firm’s legacy of architectural work. Browning Day has been honored with John’s talent, creativity, and leadership for the last 47 years. John is now moving into a new stage of life as he retires from Browning Day and continues his love for the arts and pursuing the ever-elusive perfect golf swing.
John became an exceptional designer who thrived on challenging himself and the Browning Day team. He always said yes to new opportunities and tackled projects and new relationships, elevating the firm, himself, and every project, while successfully bringing them to completion and building lasting partnerships with clients. The variety of markets and projects Browning Day has added to its legacy is in large part due to John’s confidence to tackle the unknown. Yet, despite the variety, he was extremely fond of designing spaces for spectators and athletes to experience the thrill of competition. John was looked to for his expertise in the sports industry to help Indianapolis establish itself as the sports mecca that it is today, hosting more than 500 national and international sporting events. The projects he worked on include the RCA Dome, the Natatorium at IUPUI, Lucas Oil Stadium, the Colts Training Center, Eleven Park, Victory Field, and many other the projects that have shaped the skyline in Indianapolis. John fondly remembers the time he was jumping on top of the RCA Dome after it was first inflated. Reaching beyond Indianapolis, John worked with clients to create sporting venues for Indiana University, Purdue University, Ball State University, and other universities across the country. Experiences like these exemplify our guiding principle to be designers of possibility.
John’s leadership style could be described as one of humility and encouragement. He collaborated with a talented team on all his projects, allowing them to lead in design and documentation, empowering their creativity, and increasing their abilities and confidence. John Dierdorf embodies doing the right thing for his clients, partners, team members, and the community. He often put himself aside to elevate the team, the project, and the client.
John’s future endeavors
John is thrilled to have more time to work on his paintings, which he has done for many years. As is typical of our industry, he rarely had enough time to embrace it fully. Now, he can regularly be found in his home studio working on several paintings simultaneously. Some of his abstract impressionistic artwork is currently being featured at the Sullivan Munce Art Center in Zionsville, IN through June 30th. He will also enjoy golfing, spending more time with his wife and children, and following his grandchildren’s many activities. John is enthusiastic about having time to pursue a more casual path in this next stage of life.
Browning Day 2.0
John Dierdorf describes the new leadership at Browning Day: “Jonathan Hess, Greg Jacoby, Tim Wise, and the operations team have embraced the future and it will be exciting to see their success.” Browning Day continues to be a keystone for Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Planning, and Interior Design in the Midwest.
The firm is poised for the future with the thoughtful and creative leaders:
- Jonathan Hess, Chairman of the Board
- Greg Jacoby, CEO
- Tim Wise, President
- Barth Hendrickson, Executive Vice President
- Drew Braley, Director of the Landscape Architecture studio
- Nick Davis, Director of Operations
- Ryan Miller, Director of the Architecture studio
- Lacey Causseaux, Director of the Interior Design studio
- Tabitha Rose Lindsay, Director of Human Resources
- Christine Pearson, Director of Quality Management.
Browning Day will continue to create great spaces and places, elevating the human experience through design for generations to come.