COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 54131

Architectural Services

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

19companies1881–1976founding years18still active1no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedMetallgesellschaft AG
1881
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedThe Austin Company
1904
FoundedEllerbe Becket
1909
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedBlack & Veatch LLP
1915
FoundedDay & Zimmermann, Inc.
1916
FoundedHDR Inc.
1917
FoundedFluor Corporation
1924
FoundedSverdrup Corporation
1928
FoundedSkidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
1936
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedThe Parsons Corporation
1944
FoundedCannon Design
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedPPB Group Berhad
1948
FoundedURS Corporation
1950
FoundedDominion Homes, Inc.
1952
FoundedHOK Group, Inc.FoundedPei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects LLP
1955
FoundedHeery International, Inc.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedGwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects LLC
1968
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Metallgesellschaft AG →
Active · founded 1881 · Germany
Metallgesellschaft AG (MG), based in the heart of Frankfurt since its foundation, is a conglomerate providing raw…
The Austin Company →
Active · founded 1904
From roots extending back well into the 19th century, The Austin Company grew into one of the largest and most…
Ellerbe Becket →
Active · founded 1909
Ellerbe Becket is one of the leading architecture and design firms in the United States.
Black & Veatch LLP →
Active · founded 1915
Black & Veatch LLP is a leading global engineering and construction firm.
Day & Zimmermann, Inc. →
Active · founded 1916
Day & Zimmermann, Inc., a private, family-run company headquartered in Philadelphia, provides technical, engineering,…
HDR Inc. →
Active · founded 1917
HDR Inc.
Fluor Corporation →
Active · founded 1924
Mid-1980s:Fluor divests all of its oil properties, some gold operations, and all its offshore drilling facilities.
Sverdrup Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
Sverdrup Corporation is a broad-based engineering firm offering professional services in civil engineering and…
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP →
Active · founded 1936
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), established in Chicago in the 1930s, attained standing as one of the most…
The Parsons Corporation →
Active · founded 1944
The Parsons Corporation is a leading international planning, engineering, and construction firm with operations in 46…
Cannon Design →
Active · founded 1945
In half a century, Cannon Design has become an international leader in the field of architectural planning.
PPB Group Berhad →
Active · founded 1948 · Malaysia
One of Malaysia's largest companies, and one of the largest conglomerates in the ASEAN market region, PPB Group Berhad…
URS Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1950
Ranked number one on ENR's list of the top U.S.
Dominion Homes, Inc. →
Active · founded 1952
Headquartered in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Dominion Homes, Inc.
HOK Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1955
HOK's projects during the 1990s solidified the firm's reputation as a prominent architectural and engineering firm…
Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects LLP →
Active · founded 1955
Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects LLP, based in New York City, is one of the world's leading architectural firms.
Heery International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1958
Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2002, Heery International, Inc., is an architectural and engineering firm offering…
Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects LLC →
Active · founded 1968
Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects LLC is one of the largest architectural firms in the United States.
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates P.C. →
Active · founded 1976
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates P.C.
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