Premier St. Joseph Architect John Allegretti from Allegretti Architects is back in the winner’s circle with another award for his burgeoning trophy case. The prolific pro, headquartered on Main Street in an historic building that long ago housed the St. Joseph library, has garnered an award for a recent major project undertaken in the community of Bridgman.
That has received the Merit Award from the SW AIA Michigan Awards 2019. The Jury commented on the “successful addition of spatial layers to a non-descript 1970’s vintage residence, and significant improvement of the arrival sequence.”
Allegretti says that the home involved in the makeover is located in the dunes of the southwest corner of Lake Township near Bridgman. He says, “Wildwood is a vintage 1960s community founded on appreciation and stewardship of the natural environment,” noting, “More than three quarters of the property is dedicated to a wildlife habitat nature center surrounded by largely unbuildable critical dunes.”
Allegretti’s clients in this project purchased a lot, and back in the early 1970s built a single-story walkout ranch house. In the 1980s, they added a new kitchen and living areas. Allegretti says, “A few years ago, our firm was engaged to design a master suite, entry and stair over a three-car garage and elevator.” He says, “Renovations also consisted of a loft, decks, terraces, landscaping, and a screened porch.”
The owner wanted the five existing northeast facing windows in the living room to be retained, and John says, “Their request inspired the addition’s footprint,” adding, “The addition would provide a beautiful space for the client’s mother, her full-time caregiver, and the client’s three grown children’s growing families.”
The renowned St. Joe Architect continues to impress judges in a variety of professional settings, including his success year after year in the Detroit Home Magazine competition for Design Excellence. Just last spring he picked up another trophy in that setting for a private residence in the city of St. Joseph.
John has developed an international following. His work has been built in 27 states and in Europe. His work has been published in newspapers and architect trade journals in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, Florida, California, New York and in Germany. His practice has received 45 design awards by the AIA and AIA juried associations, and has been published in Architectural Record, Architecture, Progressive Architecture, residential architect, Professional Builder, Builder, Europe’s American Dream House and other journals. He has been invited to lecture and teach at numerous schools and universities. In addition, he directly mentors architectural students and provides them the opportunity for hands-on learning experience.
Allegretti has served the community of Michigan’s Great Southwest with multiple award-winning designs from his offices located in the historic building anchored at 500 Main Street in St. Joseph. You can reach him by phone at 269-983-1100 or by e-mail at Allegrettiarchitects@gmail.com. You can also learn more about his firm in general by clicking his website at the link below:
