Mark Ferguson

Founding Partner

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Mark Ferguson received a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1978 and Master of Architecture from Princeton University in 1982. He apprenticed at firms in Pittsburgh, Boston and Princeton before moving to New York City in 1982. His early work on renovations to houses in Tuxedo Park and Croton-on-Hudson introduced him to traditional architecture. The experience led him to a position at Parish-Hadley Associates where he collaborated with interior decorators and artisans in the creation of new residences guided by traditional design principles. While at Parish-Hadley, he joined forces with Oscar Shamamian, and in 1988, they established the firm known today as Ferguson & Shamamian Architects. Mark also has served as the Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at the Catholic University of America since 2020.

Oscar Shamamian

Founding Partner

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Oscar Shamamian received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College in 1981 and subsequently completed his Masters in Architecture at the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture and Planning in 1985. He began his career in the office of Robert A.M. Stern, where he designed projects ranging from Manhattan apartments to vacation residences in the Hamptons and a large farm estate in Kentucky. While at Stern’s office he also served as a research assistant for two books, New York 1900 and New York 1930, about the historic architecture of New York City.

In 1985, Oscar joined the decorating firm of Parish-Hadley where he furthered his interest in traditional residential design.  He gained an understanding of the essential fusion of interiors and exteriors, and of architecture and interior design, an important sensitivity that guides his career today. While at Parish-Hadley, he joined forces with Mark Ferguson, and in 1988, established the firm known today as Ferguson & Shamamian Architects.

Andrés Blanco

Principal

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Andrés was raised in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, the son of an architect who was also the founding director of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico. His early interest in art and architecture led him to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Brown University and a Master of Architecture from the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture and Planning. His early professional experiences included internships at Peter Eisenman and Kohn Pedersen Fox, and junior architect positions in the offices of David Easton and Eric J. Smith where he discovered his passion for residential architecture. Andrés joined Ferguson & Shamamian in 2000. His talent for bringing people together enables him to foster collaboration among project teams both in and out of the office. Andrés’ completed projects include renovations and additions to historic buildings in East Hampton and Southampton, a new estate in Hobe Sound, Florida, and the renovation of apartments and townhouses on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Andrés has been a member of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art for two decades and led the team for the firm’s 2017 Palladio Award-winning project. He is also instrumental in the firm’s recruitment process and is deeply committed to the development and advancement of the office’s architects and staff. He divides his time between Brooklyn Heights and Newport, Rhode Island where he enjoys hosting family and friends.

Stephen T. Chrisman

Partner

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The son of an architect, Stephen spent much of his Oregon childhood drawing and visiting construction sites and historic buildings. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from the Oregon School of Design, and after graduation, accepted a scholarship to study traditional and civic buildings at the Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture Summer School. After working for Allan Greenberg in Washington DC, Stephen received his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Notre Dame and joined Ferguson & Shamamian in 1995. Stephen has led the project teams for several of the firm’s prize-winning projects, including four of the firm’s Stanford White Awards, three Palladio Prizes, a Bulfinch Award and a Mizner Award. Stephen is a long-standing Fellow and Instructor of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, where he regularly teaches and lectures about classical architecture, the study of design precedent, and measured and analytical drawing. He also serves on the Institute’s National Education Committee. Stephen and his wife live in Maplewood, New Jersey, where they raised their two sons, one studying philosophy and the other a third-generation architect.

Peter G. Francis

Principal

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Peter was born and raised in the United Kingdom and earned his degree in Accounting from Southgate Technical College in London. Peter worked for many years as a Business Manager for the London and New York offices of the international engineering firm Arup, where he developed an appreciation for architecture. He joined Ferguson & Shamamian in 2001 as Director of Finance and is instrumental in developing the firm’s business strategy for both day-to-day and future operations. He also is dedicated to promoting a supportive firm culture, maintaining fair-minded policies, and ensuring the well-being of the firm’s employees. Peter lives in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, with his wife and twin sons.

Thomas J. McManus

Partner

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Raised in Massachusetts, Tom is as inspired by the Colonial architecture of his native New England as he is by the late-nineteenth-century warehouses that line the waterfront in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where he lives with his wife and two children. While receiving his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Notre Dame, he met Stephen Chrisman and Damian Samora, now fellow Partners. Since joining Ferguson & Shamamian in 1998, Tom has understood the importance of fostering the relationship between clients and their teams. He is instrumental in the firm’s commitment to utilizing the best tools for drawing, modeling and communication. Tom has designed new residences and worked on renovations across the country and in Canada, from Manhattan to Santa Monica, Nashville to Nantucket, and Hobe Sound to Toronto. A Fellow Emeritus of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, Tom served on the editorial board of the organization’s annual journal, The Classicist, as well as its 10-year-anniversary publication, A Decade of Art & Architecture. He led the teams for the firm’s 2016 Bulfinch Award, 2018 Mizner Award and 2020 Palladio Award, and has worked with many returning clients on multiple projects, each distinct in style and location.

Andrew Oyen

Principal

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Andrew’s passion for aesthetics and how people live comes from a family background in the decorative arts. Andrew began his career as an architect within an interior design firm, learning how to create a balance between the two disciplines, a practice he draws from for each of his projects. Since joining Ferguson & Shamamian Architects in 1996, Andrew’s early experience has informed everything from his first meeting with a client and helping them to envision how they will live in their residence, through the development of plans, finishes, and details. Andrew received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia, with a focus in Architectural History and Urbanism, and attended The Bartlett School at University College London, where he studied Architecture, Preservation and Conservation. His work includes projects in some of New York’s most iconic buildings and residences in Long Island, Connecticut, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Malibu, among others. He lives with his partner in the Jackson Heights Historic District of New York City and spends weekends at their cottage, an accessory building on a former estate near the Delaware River.

M. Damian Samora

Partner

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Originally from Colorado, Damian received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame and started his career in London at Demetri Porphyrios & Associates. At the encouragement of his University of Notre Dame schoolmates and fellow Partners, Stephen Chrisman and Tom McManus, he joined Ferguson & Shamamian in 1999. Raised in the Rockies, educated in the Midwest and having practiced in London and New York, Damian has been exposed to a diverse range of building traditions and lifestyles. He brings this experience to each of his varied projects across the country including most recently in Washington, D.C.; Telluride, Colorado; St. Louis, Missouri; and the Northeast. Damian’s project leadership led to the firm’s 2022 McKim Mead & White Award for Architecture. A Fellow Emeritus of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, Damian is also Chair of the office Practice Committee. In this role, he helps to ensure the firm best utilizes its assets for design, documentation, and resources, while also fostering an environment of learning and mentorship for the firm’s young architects. Damian and his family live in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood and enjoy holidays with family in Colorado and Lake Michigan.

Scott J. Sottile

Partner

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Growing up in Virginia surrounded by historic buildings and classical American architectural influences, Scott was determined to have a career in architecture. He earned his Bachelor of Architectural History with a minor in Historic Preservation from the University of Virginia and during an intensive two-year internship with Office of the Architect for the Academical Village, was proud to be involved in the hands-on restoration work of Jefferson’s Lawn Buildings. He received his Master of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame and came to Ferguson & Shamamian in 2005, and was named partner in 2021. Some of Scott’s most recent projects include a new waterfront family compound in Maine, the restoration of an iconic, historic estate in East Hampton, and new houses in California and Florida. Active in community service, he is on the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture Foundation Board, and was a member of the Restoration Committee that oversaw a two-year renovation of the historic Church of St. Francis Xavier in Manhattan, a project that won the 2011 Lucy G. Moses Award from The New York Landmarks Conservancy and the 2011 Victorian Society Award. Scott is an avid gardener and spends most weekends with his partner and their two whippets in Sag Harbor.

Senior Associates

Jason R. Bibens

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Hailing from Manchester, Vermont, Jason Bibens grew up in a construction family, learning the fundamentals of building at an early age. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural Engineering from the Wentworth University in Boston, and honed his architectural skills in Boston before relocating to New York City. Jason has been with the firm since 2006 has worked on a wide variety of the firm’s projects including an historic house in Minneapolis, a loft in Manhattan, and a waterfront estate on Nantucket. He and his wife currently reside in Manhattan.

Nina Bransfield

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Marketing and Business Development Director, Nina Bransfield, received her BBA from The George Washington University. Before joining F&S in 2001, she served as the Business Development and Public Relations Manager for an international hospitality design firm. Among her many projects, Nina is most proud to have directed the firm’s two monographs, New Traditional Architecture (Rizzoli 2001) and Collaborations; Architecture, Interiors, Landscapes (Rizzoli 2021). She currently lives in Garden City, New York with her husband and two daughters.

Justin Ford

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Justin Ford grew up in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania and received his Master of Architecture from the University of Miami. Relocating to New York, he began his career at the firm in 2004 and has contributed his architectural expertise to many apartment and house projects including a waterfront estate in Westport, Connecticut, a hillside residence in Santa Monica, and an historic full-floor apartment in Manhattan. Justin currently lives in Queens with his wife and children.

Benjamin Hatherell

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Ben Hatherell joined Ferguson & Shamamian in 2002 after graduating from the Welsh School of Architecture.  During his tenure at the firm he has lead the design for two Stanford White and one Palladio Award winning projects. He is well-versed in English Architecture and has a particular interest in Arts & Crafts and Edwardian Classicism, and has traveled extensively to study the work of Edwin Lutyens and his contemporaries. Ben is a member of the Lutyens Trust, The Georgian Group, The Victorian Society, and The Twentieth Century Society. He resides in a Landmark building on the Upper East Side with his wife & daughter in an apartment that he renovated himself.

Jonathan Hogg

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Jonathan Hogg grew up in Miami and spent many formative summers in Europe in his youth. After graduating from the University of Miami with a degree in architecture, he remained there for several years working at two small local firms. In 2001 he took his career to two well-regarded firms in the Northeast before joining Ferguson & Shamamian in 2007. Jonathan divides his time between Miami and New York, and is active in the New York community as a trustee of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library (chairing its Building Committee), as board member of the Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation, and as a board member of the New York Landmark Conservancy.

Natalie Jacobs

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Natalie Jacobs has been with the firm since its inception in 1988 and has been instrumental in directing many of the firm’s projects as an architect, project manager and specifications writer. She is an esteemed teacher and mentor to the young architects of the firm. Natalie received her architectural degree from Carnegie Mellon University and began her career in Boston and Princeton before moving to New York to work at residential architectural firms Ryall Bishop and Robert A.M. Stern Architects.

Franklin Pinchinat

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IT Director, Franklin Pinchinat, was born in Harlem, New York and received his Business/Information Technology degree from Baruch College. After experience in data base development and computer infrastructure projects and design, Frank joined the firm in 2001. Since then, he has transformed the IT Department from its simple early days to a state-of-the-art technology department for business, communication, and architectural design.

Sara Reinthaler

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Born in Michigan, Sara Reinthaler received her architectural degree from the University of Notre Dame. Over the course of her 17 years with the firm, Sara has managed wide range of projects from townhouses in New York City, to large family houses in the Hamptons and a farm estate in Pennsylvania. She and her husband currently live in Brooklyn where they co-manage their 200-year-old brownstone co-op.

Scott Reinthaler

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Scott developed an interest in traditional houses and their details while growing up in the suburbs of New York City in Westchester County. His love of art and drawing led him to pursue his bachelor’s in architecture degree at the University of Notre Dame where he received the top thesis prize as a senior. Joining F&S in 2001, Scott has led the design on a variety of projects including projects that have received the McKim, Mead & White Award, Palladio Award, Addison Mizner and Schuler Awards. He resides in Brooklyn with his wife, Sara, where he is the Treasurer of his 150-year-old brownstone’s Co-op Board.

William Rutledge

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William Rutledge grew up in Lake Forest, Illinois where he was inspired from an early age by the architecture of Howard Van Doren Shaw and David Adler. After receiving his architecture degree from Miami University, he began his career in New York City in 2007. He holds two master’s degrees in architecture, one from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the other from the University of Notre Dame. William joined Ferguson & Shamamian in 2012 and has worked on projects ranging from a large estate in Maine to houses in the Hamptons and apartments in Manhattan. He is an active member of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and the American Friends of the Georgian Group and currently resides in Greenwich Village.

Alexandra VanOrsdale

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Growing up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alexandra received her undergraduate architecture degree from the University of Cincinnati and her Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. Since joining the firm in 2011, she has worked on several large-scale projects across the country including a large property overlooking Aspen Mountain, an estate in Ohio and several New York City apartments. A licensed architect, Alexandra has been instrumental in mentoring her colleagues and young architects as part of the firm’s Career and Professional Development Committee. She currently lives in Washington Heights with her husband, two daughters, and English bulldog.

Karla Z. Wishnick

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Raised in Westchester County, New York, Karla holds a Master of Architecture Degree from Harvard University. Before joining the firm in 2013, she practiced traditional residential architecture in New York and Connecticut. During the course of her tenure with the firm, Karla has worked on a variety of the firm’s projects including waterfront homes and estates on the east coast and abroad. Karla is passionate about mentoring the firm’s architects and is instrumental in furthering the firm’s educational efforts. She lives in Connecticut with her husband.

Joseph Zvejnieks

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Joseph Zvejnieks grew up in New Jersey received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Since he began at the firm in 2004, Joseph has honed his skills in pencil, watercolor, and digital rendering and developed an extensive in-house rendering department able to illustrate all phases of a project in a variety of mediums. Joseph lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters.

Associates

  • Alan Ahles
  • Luis Almeida
  • Bogdan Borgovan
  • Andrew Califano
  • Joy Hunter
  • Jeffrie Lane
  • Priscilla Lugo
  • Brendan McNee
  • Cindy M.A. Michel
  • Rocco Monaco
  • Connor Moran
  • Alexander Morley
  • Elena Roth Murphy
  • Christopher Perales
  • Katharine Sandberg
  • Molly Ryan Visk
  • Rebecca Whiting
  • Richard Williams

Architectural & Administration Team

  • Marwan Abulsoud
  • Camille Adkins
  • Anthony Amiano
  • Kyannah Andrews
  • Kristin Bailey
  • Grace Barrett
  • Jonathan Bliss
  • Livia Brodie
  • Jonathan Brown
  • Raul Castano
  • Renato Cerini
  • Jeannie Chung
  • Elisabeth Cime-Joseph
  • Blake Davenport
  • Timothy Dobday
  • Grace Douthit
  • Joseph M. Faccibene
  • Dominic Fiallo
  • Miguel Fonte
  • Giulia Gavazzeni
  • John Gibbons
  • Sylvana Gomez Mendoza
  • Robbie Gutman
  • Kelly Harran
  • Shelby Heard
  • Marc Hochman
  • Nicole Homeny
  • Brian Jacobs
  • Daniel Kiser
  • Grace Kusmierski
  • Pooja Lalwani
  • Angie Lara
  • Gretchen Lemon
  • Damian Majkrzak
  • Samantha Massey
  • Evie McLean
  • Manuela Montufar
  • Emmitt Moore
  • Carter Nelson
  • Kelly O’Meara
  • Aldo L. Paino
  • Lavinia Pana
  • Scott Porter
  • Kathryn Priestley
  • Nebojsa Savic
  • Luciano Schiavone
  • Tara Kolff Shehab
  • Alexa Patel
  • Donna Smith-Brown
  • Alma L. Soriano-Vaquero
  • Todd Stovall
  • Lour Totah
  • Sebastian VanDerbeck
  • Jose Villalobos
  • Erikka Vinci
  • Dotnaces Wilson
  • Natalie Zuppas