Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Ashley McGraw Architects Announces Acquisition of studioMLA Architects

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/16/24

Ashley McGraw Architects, based in Syracuse, N.Y., recently announced that it has acquired the 15-person architecture and landscape design firm studioMLA Architects, based in Brookline, Mass. The acquired firm will be rebranded as the Early Childhood Education Studio, and studioMLA founder Mike Lindstrom will become Ashley McGraw’s seventh partner, according to a news release.

“As we emerged from the challenges of COVID, a vital component of our strategic plan was to build a more resilient business by diversifying our markets,” said Ashley McGraw Architects President & CEO, Matthew Broderick. “We aimed to build one of the best community-focused design practice in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, expanding our capacity to make an impact and creating more opportunities for staff. This strategic acquisition provides Ashley McGraw a Boston-based office and a national practice centered on early childhood education, expanding our demographic diversity to include a much younger age group and anchoring our geographic diversity in New England.”

The news release reports that studioMLA Architects was founded in 2006 and specializes in the design of early education facilities and nature-inspired play areas. Lindstrom brings more than 30 years of experience in designing young learning environments to Ashley McGraw, including membership in the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and a teaching position with the Institute on Childcare Design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

“We are excited about the new opportunities and resources that this strategic partnership provides to our clients and to the studioMLA team,” said Lindstrom. “Given the similarities in cultures and shared focus on high-quality design, I anticipate a seamless transition and look forward to a host of new possibilities.”

Ashley McGraw Architects currently has offices in Syracuse, N.Y., and Washington, D.C. The new Boston office will bring the firm’s total staff count to 79, the news release reports.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.