FitzGerald Associates Announces New Senior Designer, Senior Architect

Chicago, Ill. (June 2007) - FitzGerald Associates Architects is proud to name Valerie De Luca, 28, of Mount Prospect, a Senior Designer and Mark Eklund, 27, of Chicago, a Senior Architect with the firm.  Their new duties will include management of multiple projects and a deeper involvement with client relations.  Both De Luca and Eklund have contributed a great deal to several of FitzGerald Associates’ recent successes. 

“We are thrilled to recognize these young architects for their contribution to our success,” said managing principal Pat FitzGerald. “Their firm-wide vision and energy coupled with their commitment to quality will ensure the continued success of our firm.”

Valerie De Luca began her work with FitzGerald Associates Architects in 2000 as an intern while still enrolled at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She also had the opportunity to study abroad in Versailles, France before she graduated in 2001 from UIUC with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies. Following graduation De Luca joined FitzGerald Associates full-time and has since been instrumental in numerous projects the firm has produced. She has utilized her design and urban planning skills on creating the master plans for projects including University Village East, Parkside of Old Town; the redevelopment of Cabrini Green and Jazz on the Boulevard, and has been influential in the residential design of various projects including the Luxury Single Family Residences at University Village East and Edgebrook Glen, and the Rowhouses of Ravenswood Row.

Mark Eklund has been with FitzGerald Associates since 2000.  He holds a B.A. in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and has worked on a large variety of project types for FitzGerald Associates including small scale residential, high rise condominiums, commercial build-outs, and large scale building renovations for residential use.  Some of Eklund’s projects include 1819 South Michigan Avenue, University Village Mid-Rises, Printer’s Corner, Winthrop Club, and 740 W Fulton.  Eklund is a registered architect in the State of Illinois, a LEED AP, and a member of AIA, CSI, and USGBC.

Established in 1919 as Rissman & Hirschfeld, FitzGerald Associates Architects is a fourth generation Chicago architectural firm. The firm offers its clients a continuum of residential and commercial design services, including development feasibility studies; site design and planning; architectural design; space planning; interior design; historical research and restoration; contract documents and specifications; permit acquisitions; and field observations. For more information call 312.563.9100.