RTKL was a global
architecture,
planning and
design firm. The firm was founded in 1946 by
Archibald C. Rogers and Francis T. Taliaferro in Rogers’ grandmother’s basement in
Annapolis and grew to be one of the largest architectural firms in the world prior to its acquisition by
Arcadis NV in 2007. In October 2015, RTKL was formally merged with another Arcadis subsidiary, Seattle-based Callison, to form
CallisonRTKL headquartered in
Baltimore.[1]
The firm's name, RTKL, originated from the initials of its initial members, Rogers, Taliaferro, Kostritsky, and Lamb.
Rogers and Taliaferro's reputation grew when, in 1954, internationally renowned architect
Pietro Belluschi selected the firm as his associate architect for the design of the Church of the Redeemer in
Baltimore.[5] The project received an AIA Award of Merit and, in 1986, a special 25-Year Award from the AIA's Baltimore Chapter. In 1956, Lamb was made a partner in the firm, which changed its name to Rogers, Taliaferro and Lamb.[4]
The addition of
urban design specialist George Kostritsky in 1961 completed the foursome, and the “Rogers, Taliaferro, Kostritsky and Lamb” name was condensed to “RTKL”. In that same year RTKL was commissioned to design the public spaces for the
Charles Center, which contributed to Baltimore’s
urban renewal movement. Largely because of the success of this involvement, the firm was commissioned to develop downtown plans for
Cincinnati, Ohio,
Hartford, Connecticut, and
Charlotte, North Carolina, among other U.S. cities. The firm continued to expand in the next decades, opening offices across the company and overseas. RTKL also grew through acquisitions.
21st century
In 2000, RTKL acquired
Dallas-based FDS International, a health practice ranked among the top ten in the country.[6] Later RTKL bought the
Miami-based Howard Snoweiss Design Group, a design company, with an eye towards expanding its business in Latin America and the Caribbean.[7]
In 2007, RTKL became a wholly owned subsidiary of
Arcadis NV, an international company that delivers consulting, design, engineering, urban planning, architectural and project management services for infrastructure, environment and buildings.[8]
In August 2010, the firm purchased Beijing-based AHS International, a practice that specialized in healthcare and medical-facility architecture.[9]
In 2011, Building Design ranked RTKL’s retail sector first in the world, its planning services third, and its urban design services fifth.