Legat Architects announced this week that it has acquired the architecture and interior design firm of Studio 3 Design in Indianapolis. It marks Legat’s expansion into Indiana.
Headquartered in Chicago with a footprint in the Quad Cities, Legat announced the deal in a news release Tuesday, Nov. 11. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Legat said Studio 3 is well known for its strong client service and its deep portfolio of health care, hospitality and multi-family projects. The partnership opens new opportunities for both firms by expanding Legat’s healthcare portfolio, adding new services for Studio 3 clients, and creating a stronger foundation for collaboration across the Midwest, according to the release.
The new location also marks the seventh studio for Legat. It opened its downtown Moline office in April 2012. Located at 1515 5th Ave., Suite 108, the office has grown to 10 employees.
In addition to Chicago and Moline, it also has studios in Gurnee and Oak Brook, Illinois; Columbus, Ohio; and Iowa City.
“This acquisition bridges our Chicago-area and Columbus studios and strengthens our reach across the Midwest corridor,” Jeff Sandberg, president and CEO of Legat Architects, said in the release. “Most importantly, their team embodies the same client-first culture that drives Legat.”
Founded more than two decades ago, Studio 3 Design brings a loyal client base and a reputation for treating clients like family.
“We’re the same people with the same personal touch,” Heather Leslie, president of Studio 3 Design, said in the release. “Now we have the depth and resources to do even more for our clients and communities.”
Legat’s QC projects
Legat Architects is a nationally recognized architecture and interior design firm dedicated to creating spaces that empower people and enrich communities. It specializes in solutions for the education, health care, commercial, and civic architecture sectors. This year, The Architect’s Newspaper named Legat the Midwest’s top large architecture firm for its focus on design, culture, and community impact.
Since entering the Quad Cities market, Legat has grown from a one-man operation with Mr. Sandberg, to a thriving studio with projects across the bistate region.
In a 2022 blog on the company’s website, Mr. Sandberg reflected on the local office’s start a decade earlier. “I was the firm’s Quad Cities guy, so it was really a sink or swim scenario,” he wrote.
In addition, he supported the Chicago-area studios on some projects and received remote assistance for projects here.
At the time, Legat’s Quad Cities clientele included nine school projects, Ascentra Credit Union’s new downtown Bettendorf headquarters, Augustana College, many of the area’s municipalities, MetroLINK and the University of Iowa.
Other individual projects included: The Q/Element Moline, the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House at The Bend in East Moline, Riverstone Group’s new Davenport headquarters, and projects with the YMCA of Iowa Mississippi Valley, including its North Scott YMCA in Eldridge.
