The first week in July of 1985, Bob Foreman set up shop and moved
furniture into newly rented office space in Stone Mountain. The new company officially opened the Monday
morning after the Fourth of July, with a new phone system, a new Sears electric
typewriter, and a “sign on the door” that read Foreman Associates
Architects. Thirty years later, we are
celebrating that day in 1985 when it all began.
However, it really didn’t just suddenly start on that day in
1985. It really began eight years
earlier when Bob joined a Norcross architectural firm where he became a
“partner” when the firm renamed itself Cunningham Bailey & Foreman Architects. After some rough years during a difficult
economy in the early 80’s, Bob was not satisfied working for a firm where his
name was on the door but he had little actual input into how the firm
operated. The decision to open a new company
came after much prayer and thoughtful consideration.
The plan at first was to specialize in churches and
schools. We stuck with that plan and
soon added bank projects to the mix. Jeff
Seeley joined the firm in 1987 right after graduation from Kent State. Jerry Fountain, with a degree from Southern
Tech, joined in 1989. In 1992, we
changed the name of the firm to Foreman Seeley Fountain Architects. Later, we decided the company name should
reflect what we did, not what we were, and we became Foreman Seeley Fountain
Architecture. Over the years, we have added
interior and tenant space design services, and recreational and municipal
facilities. We have completed projects
in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Illinois,
and Tennessee. We have come a long way since opening in that little two story office
building in Stone Mountain.
