JEROME KERNER A.I.A., a graduate of Pratt Institute (B. Arch 1958) began practicing as an independent architect in 1965. In the late 60's, his firm specialized in hotels and shopping center projects, with the Granite Hotel in Accord NY, a luxury high-rise, and The Orange Plaza Mall, a regional mall in Middletown, NY., as two examples of his work of that period. During the 70's, in addition to running an office, Mr. Kerner taught at the State University and authored papers on the subject of alternate energy in design of buildings, all the while designing several passive solar projects.

The 80's saw a shift in his practice to adaptive reuse with projects like the Ansonia Clockworks Coops in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and the St. Mary's Girl School conversion in Peekskill, NY. These were the first of many design-build projects for Jerome. From 1985 to the present Jerome Kerner has been involved with design-build projects in the Westchester and Mid-Hudson areas of New York. These are projects that have long span requirements, where structural steel systems design along with a design-build approach becomes a practical method of safely fulfilling the many functions of a structure. Currently he is the person responsible for design in a Design-Build team and works collaboratively with Bond Street Architecture & Design of New York on a variety of recreational, fitness and sports-related projects, such as ice rinks, indoor tennis courts, and other large span multi-sport spaces, as well as high-bay storage and corporate offices.

Some of Jerome Kerner’s completed projects in Westchester include:

• A corporate office and distribution center for Carquest Auto Parts in Armonk;
• A distribution center for Anheuser-Busch in Peekskill;
• A 100,000 square foot state-of-the art record storage facility in Bedford for W. B. Meyer;
• A Honda sales and service building in Bedford Hills.

Among Kerner's current and recent sports projects are:

• The Brewster Sports Center, an indoor and outdoor multi-sport facility in Brewster;
• The U.S. Naval Academy Tennis Center at Annapolis, MD;
• The Sportime Clubs at Kings Park (Long Island) and Mamaroneck;
• The Sport Wellness Club in Hopewell, NY (a conversion of an older facility to a multi-function club offering cardio-fitness and weight trainingl);
• The Riverwinds Tennis Center at Thorofare, NJ, a privately operated facility in a Town recreation complex. This facility won an Outstanding Tennis Facility Award from the Track and Tennis Court Builders Association in 2002.

Economy is usually an important design consideration, especially for private sports clubs, which generally have to satisfy many requirements. “While they must offer all the amenities to be attractive to prospective members, their monthly membership fees have to stay competitive,” the architect says. “Take a new tennis facility. Where a prep school might have a budget of $7 to $10 million, a private tennis club often will try to do approximately the same thing on a budget of $4 million.”

While large-span metal structures are often a preferred building type for sports uses, they are not the only possible solution to the problems facing this type of facility. Inflatable and fabric frame buildings are generating more interest because they offer a means of adding to existing facilities inexpensively. Indicative of this trend, Kerner’s design of an inflatable addition to the Kings Park project mentioned above was designated ‘Tennis Court of the Year’ by Tennis Industry magazine in March of 2001.

Some of the goals of the firm are:

• To be involved in a project as early as possible, bringing ideas and experience into play in every phase of the planning of the structure, from site selection to space use and, ultimately, to the building itself;
• To create a team approach to each project, where the construction entity participates in budgeting and decisions on means and methods of construction from the outset;
• To create a seamless integration between design and construction, where cost controls and schedules are treated as important aspects of the program.

Mr. Kerner has been an active member of the A.I.A.

As a member of the Westchester Mid Hudson Chapter of A.I.A. New York State, he served on the Board of Directors from 1991 to 1998. He served as Chapter Treasurer, Vice President, and, in 1997, President. In 2000, Mr. Kerner was elected Vice President of P.R. and Communications on the State Board of Directors.

Jerome Kerner is licensed in:  New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachussetts, Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee.