Theodore Galante

Early and personal life

As one of five children, Galante was raised in a family of makers. Early years were influenced by his father’s metal working shop, along with building a house for the growing family. His skill in hand craft and the arts was honed in early school years, evolving to a level of draftsman prior to entering college. He enrolled in an undergraduate program after spending three years as architect’s apprentice.

Works

Galante earned his first professional degree after five years of study, leaving his undergraduate program with a Silver Medal in Design. Upon completing his Master of Architecture degree from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, he became the first staff architect for the campus there since the Saarinen Era. Attending architectural advisory council meetings, Galante was influenced by the careful selection of architects such as Williams and Tsien, Steven Holl, and others. This period includes collaborating on campus projects with Dan Hoffman, Juhani Pallasmaa, and Peter Rose. He settled in Boston and established The Galante Architecture Studio in 1997 built on foundations learned from these experiences. His architecture, formally influenced by a refined approach to place making, has been included in a number of books and professional periodicals. Early awards by the Architectural League of New York and the Boston Society of Architects (1998) confirmed Galante’s reputation for a pursuit of design excellence. The Falmouth Recreation Center and Field House, an early project, illustrates a refined approach to form making by the architect (2001). As a precisely crafted building published in Architecture Magazine, the building reflects Galante’s focus on material, form, and function. The Ashby Free Public Library hinges on a generous wetland field (2004). The architect set the building hovering above the ground plane with a long gestural cantilever, preserving generous views out to the New England landscape from the reading room. Rather than taking over the site, the building rolls gently down the slope, sustainably working with the environment.

Acceptance to Mayor Bloomberg’s NYC Design and Construction Excellence Program formed a key intersection for The Galante Studio with projects increasing in complexity and design scrutiny (2005). One result of this program is a new Fire Station for FDNY which was included in the publication We Build the City, New York City’s Design and Construction Excellence Program by ORO Editions (2013). Recognition of the practice continued to rise as this step aligned with Galante being selected as the Distinguished Visiting Critic at the Boston Architectural College (2005), leading to a solo exhibition of Studio Works, along with a lecture and design studio teaching position.

The firm’s work with Harvard University has been extensive and thorough, leading the staff to become institutional specialists. After designing many interiors, the Studio was commissioned with one of the first buildings to be located in Harvard’s expansion into Boston. 224 Western Avenue, the Ceramics Studio, (2013) and Educational Portal became a signature element for the university as supporters of the arts. Similarly, they confirmed Galante’s expertise in institutional architecture, and its ability to create structures to house varied arts disciplines from theater, to studio art, and beyond.

Galante speaks nationally about design trends of Fire Station buildings from the world over. As a specialist in this area, he has designed and built public safety buildings in Boston, New York, Davenport, Iowa, among other cities. The work in New York has been the subject of Station Style design awards (2013). In a nod to the tradition of architecture, he has designed and built buildings, but also furniture, objects, and elements of varying scale. Many of the buildings have been published in trade periodicals such as Architecture and Architectural Record, while his furniture has been published in Dwell Magazine.

Certifications

Training

Licensed architect in different states

Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, Iowa, New Hampshire

Awards

Boston Society of Architects: Young Architects Award for Design of the Vawter House (1998)

Boston Society of Architects: Your Architects Award for Design of Children’s School Lockers (1998)

Boston Society of Architects: Honor Award for Design for the Falmouth Recreation Center (2003)

Fire Chief: Station Style Design Award for Engine Company 63 FDNY (2013)

F.I.E.R.O.: Fire Station Design Excellence for Engine Company 63 FDNY (2014)

Architizer A+ Awards: Plus Categories | Architecture + Workspace Category. Popular Choice Winner for Ceramics Studio (2014).

Publications