Christner Architects

It is with sadness that we announce the recent passing of our founder, Theodore C. Christner, AIA at the age of 92. Ted established Theodore Christner & Associates in 1963 and guided the firm for more than four decades, shaping it into an architectural practice recognized for its design and technical excellence.

Ted’s professional career included significant projects for universities, healthcare institutions, corporations and civic organizations, including many that have become enduring landmarks throughout St. Louis and beyond. A few of his most notable projects include the St. Mary’s Hospital Chapel, the McDonnell Douglas Product Innovation and Flight Simulation Facility, the Temperate House at the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, the Center of Clayton, the Jewel Box Restoration in Forest Park, and the Interfaith Chapel and MetroLink Station at St. Louis Lambert International Airport.

Ted’s humble dedication to St. Louis has been a constant thread through the history of the firm. To this day, honoring Ted has always meant upholding his legacy of creating exceptional spaces that are imbued with meaning and purpose for our clients.

https://christnerarchitects.com/blog/ted-christner-1932-2025/

We’re thrilled to announce that Christner Architects is now part of CannonDesign. By coming together, we're doubling down on a shared commitment to elevating design excellence across St. Louis and amplifying our ability to provide deeply meaningful and impactful design solutions for our community.

For more than 60 years, our team has shaped the fabric of St. Louis and the region through some of the area’s most recognizable and enduring projects. Joining CannonDesign allows us to build on that legacy with greater scale, deeper expertise and broader reach, while staying true to the relationships and community connections that define us.

Learn more about this merger of design talent here: https://christnerarchitects.com/blog/designing-our-next-chapter-christner-architects-joins-cannondesign

✨Project Spotlight✨

Project: Center of Creative Arts Renovation and Expansion
Client: Center of Creative Arts
Completed: 2020
Photography: Samuel Fentress and Documodern

A renovation and 52,000 square foot expansion of COCA’s historic Erich Mendelsohn building balances contextual sensitivity to the original building with a distinct new expression, embodying COCA’s mission of enriching lives and building community through the arts. Designed by Christner and built by S.M. Wilson, the project expanded COCA’s ability to serve students and the St. Louis artist community with the addition of new studios, community spaces, and a 450-seat theater, while preserving important neighborhood relationships.

🏅2024 AIA Central States Merit Award for Architecture
🏅2020 AIA St. Louis Distinguished Award for Architecture

✨Intern Spotlight✨

Today marks our architectural interns' first full month with us, and we are delighted to have these ambitious and talented designers join our team for the summer! Both Bedgid and Lydia are graduate students at Washington University, pursuing their M.Arch degrees.

In addition to their contributions to several ongoing projects and proposals, they have been busy working on this year's intern research project, "Exploring Artificial Intelligence in Architectural Practices", enhancing our understanding of what the future holds for our profession!