King + King Architects

King + King Architects is an architectural, engineering, and planning practice headquartered in Syracuse, New York. Its origins date to 1868, when architect Archimedes Russell established the firm. The practice is identified as New York State's oldest architecture firm and as the third-oldest architecture firm in the United States, distinctions that place its identity strongly within the history of American architectural practice rather than within the consumer-brand sector. The firm has operated under several names as successive members of the King family joined the partnership. In 1906, the practice was known as Melvin L. King Architects. In 1932, Harry A. King became a partner and the name changed to Melvin L. & Harry A. King Architects. Curtis King joined the partnership in 1945, producing the name Melvin L., Harry A. & Curtis King Architects. In 1959, Russell King became a partner, and the firm adopted the shorter name King & King Architects. The modern styling, King + King Architects, reflects the continuing practice identity associated with the King name. King + King works across architecture, engineering, and planning. Its documented portfolio includes educational, civic, institutional, and commercial work. The firm has maintained a particularly long relationship with Syracuse University, completing more than 40 projects for the university over a period of more than 150 years. This sustained institutional relationship is one of the clearest indicators of the firm's business scope and regional significance. Among the firm's notable designs are the E.S. Bird Library at Syracuse University, completed in 1972; the Niagara Mohawk Building in Syracuse, completed in 1932; and the National Veterans Resource Center at Syracuse University, completed in 2020. These projects span different periods and building types, illustrating the firm's continuity across twentieth- and twenty-first-century institutional architecture. The firm's connection with architectural education was further recognized in 2018, when the King + King Architecture Library in Slocum Hall at Syracuse University's School of Architecture was inaugurated. The library commemorates the practice's long association with Syracuse University and its place in the architectural history of the region. Public reference material does not provide sufficient information to identify a separate corporate parent, listed-company structure, current chief executive, or precise geographic operating footprint beyond the United States.

King + King Architects traces its history to 1868, when Archimedes Russell founded the practice in Syracuse, New York. The firm's longevity is central to its public identity: reference material describes it as the oldest architecture firm in New York State and the third-oldest architecture firm in the United States. The practice's history therefore extends across the development of modern American professional architecture, although the available reference material does not provide a detailed account of its work in every period. The firm's name changed as members of the King family entered its partnership. By 1906, it was operating as Melvin L. King Architects. Harry A. King became a partner in 1932, and the business was renamed Melvin L. & Harry A. King Architects. The partnership expanded again in 1945 when Curtis King joined, leading to the name Melvin L., Harry A. & Curtis King Architects. In 1959, Russell King became a partner, and the firm adopted the name King & King Architects. These successive changes show how the practice's identity developed through family partnership and continuity rather than through a single corporate reorganization. The firm has worked in architecture, engineering, and planning, with a portfolio that includes educational, civic, institutional, and commercial buildings. Syracuse University has been a particularly important client and institutional partner. The firm is credited with completing more than 40 projects for the university over more than 150 years, linking its history to the university's campus development and to the wider architectural life of Syracuse. One of the firm's documented Syracuse University projects is E.S. Bird Library, completed in 1972. The practice is also associated with the Niagara Mohawk Building in Syracuse, completed in 1932, and with the National Veterans Resource Center at Syracuse University, completed in 2020. Together, these projects demonstrate the breadth of the firm's publicly identified work across historic commercial architecture, university facilities, and contemporary institutional construction. The firm's relationship with Syracuse University's School of Architecture was commemorated through the King + King Architecture Library in Slocum Hall, inaugurated in 2018. The library's name recognizes the practice's long contribution to the university and its regional architectural legacy. The available sources do not establish a complete chronology of later leadership, ownership, offices, revenue, or international operations. Accordingly, the firm's documented history is best understood through its founding, successive King-family partnerships, notable buildings, and long-term Syracuse University work.

• 2020

  National Veterans Resource Center completed

  [1]King + King Architectsen.wikipedia.org

  The National Veterans Resource Center at Syracuse University was completed as a notable contemporary project associated with the firm.

• 2018

  King + King Architecture Library inaugurated

  [1]King + King Architectsen.wikipedia.org

  The King + King Architecture Library in Slocum Hall at Syracuse University's School of Architecture was inaugurated.

• 1972

  E.S. Bird Library completed

  [1]King + King Architectsen.wikipedia.org

  The firm completed the E.S. Bird Library at Syracuse University.

• 1959

  Russell King joined the partnership

  [1]King + King Architectsen.wikipedia.org

  Russell King became a partner and the firm changed its name to King & King Architects.

• 1945

  Curtis King joined the partnership

  [1]King + King Architectsen.wikipedia.org

  Curtis King became a partner, leading to the name Melvin L., Harry A. & Curtis King Architects.

• 1932

  Harry A. King joined the partnership

  [1]King + King Architectsen.wikipedia.org

  Harry A. King became a partner, and the practice adopted the name Melvin L. & Harry A. King Architects.

• 1932

  Niagara Mohawk Building completed

  [1]King + King Architectsen.wikipedia.org

  The Niagara Mohawk Building in Syracuse was completed as one of the firm's notable documented designs.

• 1906

  Name changed to Melvin L. King Architects

  [1]King + King Architectsen.wikipedia.org

  The firm was operating under the name Melvin L. King Architects.

• 1868

  Practice founded in Syracuse

  [1]King + King Architectsen.wikipedia.org

  Archimedes Russell established the architectural practice that later became King + King Architects.

A long-established regional architecture, engineering, and planning practice distinguished by its 1868 origin, multigenerational King-family history, institutional portfolio, and unusually long relationship with Syracuse University.

• Institutional architecture · 2020

  National Veterans Resource Center

  Completed in 2020 at Syracuse University, the National Veterans Resource Center is one of King + King's documented contemporary institutional projects. It represents the firm's continued participation in major university and civic work and extends its Syracuse University portfolio into a twenty-first-century facility serving veterans and the university community.

• University library · 1972

  E.S. Bird Library

  Completed in 1972, E.S. Bird Library is a notable King + King project at Syracuse University. Its inclusion in the firm's documented portfolio reflects the practice's long involvement in university facilities and its role in shaping the built environment of the Syracuse campus.

• Commercial and corporate architecture · 1932

  Niagara Mohawk Building

  The Niagara Mohawk Building in Syracuse was completed in 1932 and is identified as one of the firm's notable designs. The project represents the practice's historical contribution to Syracuse's commercial and institutional architectural landscape.

• Architecture education resource · 2018

  King + King Architecture Library

  Inaugurated in 2018 in Slocum Hall at Syracuse University's School of Architecture, the King + King Architecture Library commemorates the firm's long association with the university and its place in the regional architectural profession.

1. 1King + King Architectsen.wikipedia.org