Practicing architecture in small town america

By Marie McCauley, AIA

You may love Brooklyn, but Brooklyn doesn’t need your ass. Go somewhere that does. — Ryan Terry

I live in Ripley, W.Va., population 3,200.

I grew up in Evans, W.Va., population 1,710.

But my life between Evans and Ripley took me to several major out-of-state cities. These cities were bustling and vibrant, and I never could’ve eaten at all the restaurants I wanted to try. These cities had professional sports teams, the economy was robust, and, in my eyes, the air was filled with a hope and intrigue for the future. Retail centers, office buildings, and housing developments were being built faster than you could say “EIFS.”

I enjoyed my time in these cities. I enjoyed the people I got to know there. But I left and moved back home. I told myself it was for several reasons. I wanted to watch my niece and nephew grow up, and I wanted my son to grow up near his extended family. The enticement of accessible babysitting, in the form of nearby grandparents, definitely played a role. All these reasons were true, but I couldn’t put my finger on the main reason until I heard Ryan Terry’s quote above — those cities didn’t need me.

So now I live 10 miles from my childhood home, and I relish every second of it. I loved participating in a program that resulted in grant writing and design for new wayfinding signage around town. I’m thrilled when a new business owner wants my opinion on renovating a space on the courthouse square. I enjoy helping a nonprofit achieve its vision of a children’s museum. These projects make me feel like I’m making a difference in my community and staying connected to the lives of my fellow citizens.



And I’m not the only one who feels this way. In Deloitte’s 2015 Millennial Survey, 60 percent of millennials said “a sense of purpose” is part of the reason they chose to work for their companies. Millennials are also volunteering on average almost twice as much as their baby boomer counterparts. And why should we care what millennials think? Because millennials and their younger colleagues in Generation Z together make up 40 percent of the U.S. population. Within the AIA, approximately 30 percent are emerging professionals, a group including students, recent graduates, and architects who have been registered less than 10 years. And these emerging professionals want to make a difference.

I have many friends who have moved away from West Virginia and are thriving in their jobs out of state, and I’m genuinely happy for them. I see the experiences their cities offer, and sometimes I want those, too. But I know those friends are sometimes envious of my slower-paced life, far away from the everyday grind and rat race they’ve become accustomed to. The Survey on Community and Society released by the American Enterprise Institute in February 2019 explores how Americans feel about their communities and examines factors that might increase or impede community engagement. According to this survey, residents in a small town or rural area are more satisfied with their communities than those living in large cities, and they are also more willing to help their neighbors.

I know what you’re thinking — you don’t want to design insignificant office spaces for small businesses for the rest of your life. But living in a small town and working with local communities does not diminish my creativity or suffocate my opportunities to work on larger-scale projects. Because, be honest, we all want that, too. And even large projects need to be rooted in some sort of human connection — and a connection to the town in which they’re located. “I cannot begin to imagine a lifestyle or career that doesn’t involve a profound human connectivity at whatever contextual scale that is presented,” said Jeremy Jones, AIA, an architect at Charleston, W.Va.-based Silling Architects. Jones’s diverse portfolio includes small, local renovation projects and large, complex governmental facilities. “This has provided me an opportunity to reflect in ongoing dialogues with owners about incredibly important and engaging construction both in and away from my intrinsic roots. Many people only build once in an entire lifetime; and there is no greater responsibility or prideful endeavor that an architect can participate in than assisting in turning their visions into an occupiable reality, no matter the size of the project.”

I’m sure small communities all around our country are eager to open their doors to young professionals and would love nothing more than to have these folks contribute their fresh ideas and a new perspective. Phoebe Randolph, AIA, a principal at Edward Tucker Architects in Huntington, W.Va., stays involved in her community and can’t imagine doing it in any other place than her hometown. “Huntington had experienced a major loss of population and industry, and many of the people who remained were beaten down and discouraged. The ability to come in fresh out of architecture school and apply my training as an architect to the complex problems facing our city was incredibly rewarding. I was invited to sit at tables that I would never have had access to in larger cities, or in larger firms. And I found that the firm I worked for was committed to acting as a resource for the community, applying our unique skills as architects to solving problems and completing projects.”

Jones agrees that his decision to return to small-town America after graduation was the right one. “I had a choice after college, and I chose to come back home to the foothills of the Appalachian mind-set. Many of my peers and academic associates questioned this decision, and I definitely did contemplate my choice in my early career as I detailed residential stairs and managed small commercial work with very little artistic grain. However, I gained so much experience in doing so. I now recognize that many younger professionals benefit as well from that localized network that is nearly family — and not vegetating in an office environment where they don’t see real construction, don’t get knee-deep in their communities, and don’t get the fine roast of cost-associated decision-making.”



West Virginia has only 100 AIA members in our component, which spans the entire state. This makes us one of the smallest components in the country, but 90 percent of architects in West Virginia are AIA members, which is one of the highest percentages in the country. This means we have architects who are involved and committed, and we appreciate what the AIA does for our profession. And I don’t think we’re the minority. Rural components across the country are just as involved as we are, and the AIA needs our input and ideas. I encourage anyone in a rural area to get involved in their region, apply for those open positions, and speak out about issues we’re facing day to day.

A common misconception is that there are no jobs in these smaller areas. Our latest AIA West Virginia newsletter showed several openings for emerging professionals. Please, come and make a difference, and while you’re at it, enjoy our state’s immense natural beauty and cheaper cost of living. “West Virginia has been an amazing place to raise our family and pursue a career in architecture, not just because it is home,” Randolph said, “but because there is such a sense of being needed, being useful, and making a real impact on people’s lives with the work that we do.”

No two architects are alike; we know that. Our goals, visions, and values are just as unique as our choice of eyeglasses. But I do think one thing we can agree on is that we want to better the communities in which we live. Maybe you can do that in Brooklyn — and I’m glad some architects want to do that because I love visiting Brooklyn. But I also enjoy walking down the street in my small hometown knowing that I can make a direct impact in improving the quality of life of its residents. Do you want to make an impact in the community where you live? Live somewhere that needs you.

As Jones accurately stated, “All paths in the design community are extremely valuable and impactful … be real, be you, and contribute wherever you may be.”

Author Bio:

Marie McCauley, AIA
McCauley is a Project Architect for Silling Architects in Charleston, W.Va. McCauley is a former Young Architect Regional Director for the Virginias Region and a Director for AIA West Virginia. She holds a B.Arch from the University of Tennessee.