kettering house
Kettering Estate

ncrKettering Tower

allyn hall
Old Post Office



 


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1927 The birth of Lorenz + Williams began in 1927 when James Douglas Lorenz opened a one-man office in downtown Dayton, Ohio. Over the next nine years most of his work was concentrated in residential design.

1929 Among his most notable designs was a 1929 Georgian style residence for the legendary Charles F. Kettering, the inventor of the first electric starter for automobiles. It is a tribute to Lorenz that the homes he designed 70 years ago are as attractive today as the era in which they were built.

1936 A series of commissions in 1936, one for a new commercial building in downtown Dayton, led Lorenz to seek a partner more experienced in the design and detailing of non-residential buildings. He formed a partnership in 1936 with Milton Rogers Williams, a Detroit architect 12 years his senior. Lorenz had worked in the mid-twenties as an assistant designer to Williams.

1940 One of Lorenz + Williams' first projects was the Talbott Realty Building at the corner of Second and Ludlow streets in downtown Dayton. The character of the firm's practice began to change in 1950 with a greater emphasis on commercial buildings. Residential design was limited to a select group of clients.

1954 The firm completed its first large-scale project in 1954, the NCR Engineering and Research Building in Dayton. The facility had a budget of $4 million. The fifties also saw Lorenz + Williams hire its first engineer. The firm could then offer in-house engineering services - in addition to architectural design - to its clients.

1964 A master plan is developed for the Dayton Campus of Miami University and Ohio State University. Allyn Hall, designed by Lorenz + Williams, opens in September. In 1965, the Ohio General Assembly approves the name Wright State to honor Orville and Wilbur Wright.

1975 The early and mid-seventies produce some of the firm's most celebrated and award-winning projects: Kettering Tower, Courthouse Square, NCR World Headquarters, and MetLife Office Complex.

1979 Lorenz + Williams rescues Dayton's Old Post Office from demolition. The 80,000 SF building serves as the firm's home for 15 years and is renovated and upgraded again in 1994 for occupancy by the United States Bankruptcy Court.

1980 The award-winning restoration of Arcade Square is completed. The complex adaptive reuse project involves uncovering and reglazing skylights on the historic 130,000 SF downtown Dayton marketplace building.

1991 The 1100-seat Victoria Theatre is renovated and restored in association with Edward Durell Stone Associates. The historic building is one of downtown Dayton's most recognizable landmarks.

2002 The firm celebrates its 75th Anniversary with a major announcement, the acquisition of R.W. Clinton & Associates of Richmond, Indiana. Lorenz + Williams is the recipient of an AIA Ohio "Honor Award" for the Butler County Regional Airport Terminal Building in Hamilton, Ohio.

2004 Lorenz Williams opens its new office at the McCormick Building. The project receives an AIA Ohio "Honor Award."

2010 Lorenz Williams and Lorenz Williams Clinton announce a new name, LWC Incorporated. The firm receives Minority Business Enterprise Certification (MBE) from the city of Dayton.