Meet Tracy A. Stone of Tracy A. Stone Architect in Elysian Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracy A. Stone.

Tracy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Apparently, I thought about becoming an architect when I was in 8th or 9th grade, which is not something I actually remember, but rather discovered when I found my PSAT test among some school papers my parents had kept all these years. I attribute this interest to my mother, who was an avid architecture client; always remodeling or adding on to our family house, which she and my father designed and built with the help of an architect before I was born.

It took me a long time to commit to architecture as a profession. I graduated from Cornell University (a school with a formidable architecture department) with an undergraduate degree in Art History, but with a transcript peppered with oddball architecture classes that I took because no one said I couldn’t. I enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture as a graduate student, surprised and delighted to find out how much I enjoyed a curriculum that knit together as a whole to provide initiation into all the different aspects of design and construction. I graduated into a time of economic turmoil in Texas, where my classmates all fled to either coast in order to find a job. I considered heading back to my hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii, but, with a local architecture school graduating many students a year who all wanted to stay, the market was competitive, and what jobs were available paid just over minimum wage. Instead, I ended up with my dream job here in Los Angeles, working for renowned architect Ray Kappe and his son Finn.

I spent five years with the Kappes, working on custom homes throughout Pacific Palisades, Brentwood and Palos Verdes. I was very fortunate to have this time learning from two men I admire immensely. They treated me with respect, and generously shared their knowledge with me. Some of my fondest memories of this time include days when Ray would sit down at the desk opposite me to quickly draft up something, and our conversations would range widely across a variety of topics. When I left to open my own firm in 1991, I did so with sadness, but also with a sense that I had a solid foundation under me derived from this rich experience.

In 2003, I moved my office from the basement of my historic home in Angelino Heights to a live-work warehouse in Elysian Valley, and I have never looked back. My firm employs 5 people, and we have designed everything from a boarding facility for dogs to a brewery to a variety of small lot subdivisions, single family homes and now, some affordable housing units.

I am interested in giving back to the neighborhoods I live and work in, and I enjoy the sense of community this brings in return. In Angelino Heights, I spent 10 years on the board of the Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, eventually as part of the committee that worked with City Planning to draft the first Preservation Plan for an HPOZ. In Elysian Valley, I worked with neighbors, our council office, and city planning to rewrite the Q Conditions that govern development in the area. I have also worked with the LA Department of Building and Safety on the Green Building Code Technical Advisory Committee. Finally, my office initiated and has managed the Frogtown Artwalk, now in its 11th year. This event knits together the artist and business communities of the neighborhood in a festival open to residents and visitors alike. It is a lively affair, and we have encouraged participation by the community in a variety of ways. You never know what you are going to see on the streets of Frogtown during this biennial event.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I can’t imagine that any business runs smoothly over a period of 27 years, and mine is no different, although the struggles have changed over the years. I started my firm in 1991, pre-internet, and it was challenging then just to get my name out, and to find clients. Architects don’t typically advertise; they rely heavily on word-of-mouth, so it was very difficult to figure out how to make my presence known. The internet has changed all that, and it is much easier these days for people to find me. The challenge has shifted now to standing out from the competition. I believe strongly in paying my employees as well as I can, and in paying them for every hour they work. This means that my overhead is higher than many other firms, and I am often underbid for projects. On the flip side, we try very hard to provide good service for the money, and I am learning to “sell” this to potential clients.

Architecture schools are great at teaching us to solve problems and to be designers. They are not as good at teaching us to run a business. Over the years, I have had to sharpen my accounting skills, my leadership and management skills, and my ability to juggle all this while ensuring that the jobs are getting done, and my clients are happy. With only one personal experience as an employee before opening my own firm, I had very little to draw from in the way of managing an architecture office. I have often been blindsided by employee requests for something that is very important to them, but that I was completely unfamiliar with.

Finally, I have come to realize how important it is to find good employees, and to keep them. I struggle with the interview and selection process, and I have about a 50/50 success rate in choosing the right person for the job. In a small office, we need the right mix of skills AND personalities. I am continually working on this process to improve this success rate… and I am sure I will continue to do so for the future.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Tracy A. Stone Architect story. Tell us more about the business.
My firm is intentionally small and I have no desire for it to grow any larger than it is. I enjoy being involved in each project, and in each design, and I don’t want to lose that involvement and become just a manager and marketer. I was an early proponent of “green” and “sustainable” design. I went to school in the early ’80s, just after the gas shortages of the 1970s and the rise of federal regulation of the environment. The concerns about clean air, clean water and fuel efficiencies resonated with me, and I directed my education towards classes that taught the beginnings of sustainable design. Sadly, my experiences here in Los Angeles proved that few clients were as interested in this as I was. I have struggled to include sustainability in my projects, and I am gratified that California passed the first green building code (effective in 2009) that mandates energy and water efficiencies and encourages the reduction of construction waste. Although I am a member of the US Green Building Council and a LEED Accredited professional, I now believe we have to move more quickly towards a goal of regenerative design – we have to move from being “less bad” to actually giving back to the environment.

Having said this, I admit that my projects fall very short of this goal! In reality, I don’t often get to work on designs that focus on the environment. We are currently riding the wave of development that is working hard to build more housing in Los Angeles. I do believe that this existing city, complete with a utility and a transportation network, is the best place to build and to add density. From a purely environmental standpoint, sprawl makes no sense. That means that Los Angeles will go through some painful growing pains as it adjusts to the density. The increased traffic and lack of parking affects us all. However, I am fascinated to see that more and more of the job candidates I interview do not have a car. That used to be unthinkable in Los Angeles. I am hopeful that transportation options will continue to increase in response to the new density, providing alternatives for everyone.

I am most proud of my company’s commitment to service. We work very hard to provide the best experience we can to our clients, including everything from design to communication to project coordination. The architect acts as a sort of quarterback for the design and construction process; providing a big picture view of the issues and weaving together each discipline’s expertise (from civil to structural to mechanical, electrical and plumbing) to create the strongest design solution for our client. I have tried to foster an environment for my employees that rewards initiative and personal growth and encourages curiosity. I find I am still learning something new everyday in an effort to improve our systems and processes and our service to our clients.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think that I am very lucky, as a woman, to have been born at this time in history, and in this country. There are not too many places in the world, and too many periods of history, where a woman could run her own business successfully in what has been, a very male-dominated profession.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tracystonearchitect.com
• Phone: (323) 664-0202
• Email: info@tracystonearchitect.com

Image Credit:
Lawrence Anderson

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.