FIRM CULTURE
Giving Back
For more than 40 years, Holly & Smith Architects has believed that serving a community means more than designing its buildings. It means investing our time, experience, leadership, and resources in the people and organizations that help those communities thrive.
Giving back takes many forms at H/S. Our team members serve on boards and commissions, volunteer their time, support charitable and cultural organizations, mentor others, and lend their professional expertise to causes throughout the communities where we live and work.
Our involvement extends across civic, cultural, preservation, educational, and charitable organizations throughout our region, including the Hammond Downtown Development District, Hammond Historic District Commission, City of Hammond Planning Commission, New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission, Downtown Lafayette Unlimited, Hammond Regional Arts Center, The Green Project, Northshore Business Council, Tangipahoa Chamber of Commerce, Hammond Rotary Club, and CASA. We also support future generations through an endowed scholarship at Southeastern Louisiana University.
At the heart of this involvement is a belief long held by H/S leadership: the privilege of an architectural education and professional career carries with it a responsibility to give something back. For us, giving back is not a separate initiative. It is part of what it means to be an architect, and part of who we are as a firm.
Creative Process
Our design process reflects a partnership with clients that begins with open dialogue and evolves into trust, confidence and collaboration. As a mid-sized, regional firm, we have the depth and resources to handle our clients’ most demanding endeavors, while our leadership remains intimately involved with a project throughout the process.
Downtown Revitalization
H/S has assisted with over 50 projects to revitalize downtown Hammond, including the restoration of the town’s landmark Columbia Theater. Our firm was instrumental in forming the Downtown Development District for Hammond in 1986, and representatives from our staff have served on its board ever since.
Downtown Living
Many of us not only work downtown but live in downtown Hammond as well. Our community is prized for its vibrant town center with a wealth of entertainment and dining options, historic architecture and a neighborly atmosphere. Meanwhile, the world-class attractions of both New Orleans and Baton Rouge are less than an hour’s drive away.
H/S NOLA
In 2010, we began a new chapter in the life of our firm with the opening of our New Orleans Studio. Due to project demand and an increase in staff, the Studio expanded and established its “new digs” in the Lower Garden District on Historic Magazine Street. The newly renovated space offers an expansive open design studio and encourages team collaboration and exploration of material applications.
Annual Crawfish Boil
Each spring, H/S hosts a crawfish boil in which our staff is able to mix and mingle while enjoying a day of traditional Louisiana food, great local music, and the company of people united by the quality work and lasting relationships created at H/S.
Friday Happy Hours
Enjoying a Friday Happy Hour together is one of the long-standing traditions at Holly & Smith Architects. These relaxed, informal gatherings give our staff a chance to connect with each other, celebrate their achievements and share the goals they have for the week ahead.