Principal Jesse J. Gardner

A Life of Service Jesse Gardner has made serving others a mission. He projects warmth and passion for his client’s vision, and moderates his intensity with a ense of humor. Like one of his heroes, architect Christopher Alexander, he believes that buildings and spaces should go beyond the client’s program and generate a fuller sense of aliveness and joy; what Alexander calls “the quality without a name.” Over the years, Gardner has both designed projects from the ground up, and managed complex renovations. He has designed residences and commercial projects from New York City to the Bahamas. Informal studies in Europe and Asia, where he met his wife in 1998, inform Gardner’s projects. A knowledge of historical classical architectural styles and construction methods is woven through his architecture, interiors and furniture design.

History Raised on organic, horse-powered farms in Vermont and Nova Scotia long before artisanal food became a trend, he took an early interest in woodworking and building design. As teenagers he and his brother built log cabins, an ice house, and restored the family barn. From his teens to early twenties, he studied wheelwrighting in Lancaster County, PA and went on to run several carriage restoration companies, doing forge work, woodworking, upholstery and painting.

Gardner moved to New York City in his mid-twenties where he worked as a theater technical director during the day and attended Parsons School of Design’s Interior Design Program and studied painting and drawing at the Art Student’s League in the evening. He left Parsons before graduating to work for Parson’s professor and Landscape Architect Halstead Welles. He went on to partner with Landscape Architect Deborah Cahill in their own firm before relocating to Philadelphia.

Hospitality Design Gardner’s background as a grower in the food/culinary world is an invaluable asset. Just as owners and chefs have a passion for each small detail of their business, Gardner researches all aspects of the enterprise, from how food is sourced, through preparation and service in order to arrive at a design solution for each project. The goal is always to uncover the essential narrative—“the story”--and weave this into the completed design, projecting the client's passion and brand to the guest, connecting them with the maker and the product. To communicate this narrative, Gardner uses his knowledge of design, building construction and food production to create projects that satisfy the client's program and practical needs, while adding the essential ingredient of style and social relevance. Projects are an intensive collaboration between client/chef, designer, and builder.