Boston, MA – The staff, clients, and friends of Wilson Butler Architects are celebrating the 45-year career of the firm’s co-founder Scott Wilson as he prepares for his next big project – retirement.
Scott Butler, Wilson’s longtime collaborator, friend, and firm co-founder, along with Thomas Hains, Rebecca Durante, Rob Levash, Ben Marcionek, and Paul Vaivoda, will continue leading the company. The retirement is part of an ongoing transition that includes advancing the next generation of firm leaders – a methodical process which started in 2012.
“Those who know me well can tell you how long I’ve talked about the day when I can spend my summers on Casco Bay and log fewer miles on airplanes,” Wilson said. “My wife and I built a house on Little Diamond Island and the dream is to spend more time there with friends and family. While I will miss the clients and everyone I work with, I am looking forward to puttering around with boats and perhaps build one or two or three from the keel up. But I will never be too far away from WBA and watch the legacy of the great family and great firm grow further and reach beyond my wildest dreams.”
“It’s impossible to overstate the impact Scott continues to have on all the fortunate people he taught, mentored, and inspired throughout his career, including me,” said Butler. “His passion for designing and building performing arts venues is only surpassed by the demanding standards he established for the quality of work the firm will continue to produce. The one positive about his retirement is there will be less confusion when someone asks for ‘Scott’.”
Prior to forming Wilson Butler Architects with Butler in 1997, Wilson began his career working for the legendary architect and place-maker Benjamin Thompson. ‘The Scotts’ went on to build a national practice, designing award-winning architecture and interior design projects for arts, entertainment, and hospitality clients.
“Scott is known for creating exciting places where people love to be – and love to return,” said WBA principal Thomas Hains. “Whether designing an urban theater, cruise ship master plan, public gathering place, or a campus performing arts center, he finds new ways of approaching problems that lead to innovative solutions, allowing our clients and their projects to excel.”
Among Wilson’s signature projects are the Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University, Auburn, AL, The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, CT, Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Boston’s Calderwood Pavilion, Towson University Center for the Arts in Towson, MD, Altria Theater in Richmond, VA, and Quantum of the Seas for Royal Caribbean International in Miami, FL.
A devoted supporter of the arts community in New England and beyond, Wilson has spent countless pro-bono hours of planning and programming to assist nonprofit arts venues and schools to clear the hurdles of site location, funding, and community support. One recent success story is the Boston Arts Academy, scheduled to open in September. Wilson Butler Architects, in collaboration with the Boston office of Perkins Eastman, designed the new five-story, LEED Gold public school for the City of Boston.