Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Every line,
personally drawn.
Peterson/Gordon is a two-partner architecture firm. There is no junior team behind the drawings — the people who design your building are the people who see it through construction.
We design the buildings a community depends on — schools, banks, churches, clinics and civic halls — and we keep the practice small enough that the partner who designs it is the partner who builds it.
Based in Winston-Salem, working across central North Carolina with public school districts, city and county government, performing arts organisations, restaurants and healthcare providers.
- Partners
- 02
- Collective experience
- 50+ yrs
- Practice founded
- 2003
- Client sectors
- 08
Four phases, one practice.
Every one of these is delivered by a partner, not passed down. That is the whole service model.
Masterplanning
Before the first line is drawn we walk the site with you: grades, access, phasing, budget. The plan sets the discipline every later decision answers to — especially on campuses that will build in stages.
- Site & campus strategy
- Phasing & budget
- Zoning coordination
Renderings
Visualisation is a design tool, not a sales pitch. We build the views early so boards, congregations and councils can read the building honestly and tell us where it is wrong.
- Exterior & interior views
- Board presentation sets
- Design iteration
Building Design
Schematic design through construction documents, drawn and detailed by the partners. Durable envelopes, legible plans, and buildings that still make sense the day after the ribbon cutting.
- Schematic & design development
- Construction documents
- Code & life safety
Construction Administration
We stay on site through closeout — submittals, site observation, the small decisions that protect the intent of the drawings. The partner who designed it is the partner you call.
- Bidding & negotiation
- Site observation
- Closeout & warranty
Built, occupied, still standing.
Three projects that show the range: a civic hall, a bank headquarters and a coastal clubhouse.
Two architects.
Every phase.
Founded by Perry Peterson as Perry Peterson Architects, the practice became Peterson/Gordon Architects in 2003. The firm is deliberately small: both partners are registered architects and perform all aspects of the work, from the first meeting to project closeout.
That is unusual, and it is the point. Schools, banks, churches and civic bodies keep coming back because the person across the table is the person who details the building.
Material study — walnut, bronze, limestone
- P.P.
Perry Peterson
President
Founding partner. Previously a partner at Newman & Jones, Newman-Peterson and Troxell-Peterson until 2000, Perry founded the firm as Perry Peterson Architects. The practice was renamed Peterson/Gordon Architects in 2003.
- J.G.
James Gordon
Vice-President, LEED AP
Partner and LEED Accredited Professional. James leads the firm's conservation and sustainability work, including the LEED Silver Piedmont Federal Savings Bank and design under LEED guidelines for The Norvell.
Measured by others.
Sustainability certification, school performance and independent cost reporting on the buildings we deliver.
2014
USGBC
LEED Silver certification
Piedmont Federal Savings Bank, Winston-Salem, NC — recognised for site selection, low energy consumption, low water use, a low-VOC environment, low-maintenance materials and long life cycle.
2010
GreatSchools.org
Rated 8 out of 10
Caleb's Creek Elementary School, Kernersville, NC — among the few public elementary schools in North Carolina to receive a distinguished GreatSchools rating, with a 4-out-of-5 community rating.
2006
John Locke Foundation / Carolina Journal
The Forsyth Formula
Report No. 282 — Winston-Salem/Forsyth County's new middle schools cost $10–$15 per square foot less than comparable schools in Union, Hickory and Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Relationships, not accounts.
Most of this work came from clients the firm has served for decades, across eight sectors in central North Carolina.
Corporate & Office
- Piedmont Federal Savings Bank
- Highwoods Properties
- Freeman Commercial Properties
- Lincoln Financial
City & County Government
- City of Winston-Salem
- Forsyth County Government
- Tanglewood Park
- Stokes County Government
- Town of Clemmons
Public & Private Schools
- Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
- Stokes County Schools
- Surry County Schools
- Tri-City Christian Academy
- Mudpies Child Care Center
- Guilford Day School (Noble Academy)
Performing Arts
- Piedmont Players Theatrical Company
- Meroney Theater, Salisbury
- Odell Auditorium, Greensboro College
- Norvell Theater, Salisbury
Restaurants
- Umi Japanese Steakhouse
- K&W Cafeteria
- Dairio
- Mayflower Restaurant
- Mama Zoes
- Little Italy
- The Olive Tree
Commercial
- Bob King Automotive
- Collins Chevrolet & Subaru
- Liberty Lincoln
- Plaza Ford
Healthcare
- Salemtown Retirement Community
- Stokes County Health
- Louisburg Nursing Center
- Yadkin Nursing Center
- Bell Dentistry
Institutional Non-Profit
- Experiment in Self Reliance
- Masonic Center, Winston-Salem
- ABC Triad Municipal
Tell us what you are planning.
A new facility, an addition, a building that has stopped working for you. The first conversation is with a partner, and it costs nothing.