This month is a special month for me as it marks my 30th anniversary of SFJones Architects 😀🎈🎉🎊🎆.
To celebrate, I'm sharing 30 of my favorite projects from over the years — starting with three that shaped who we are today.
How It All Started - Wolfgang Puck’s Spago
It all started when Wolfgang Puck decided to move Spago from its original Sunset Boulevard location to Beverly Hills, and he asked me to be the architect on the project. That opportunity was too good to pass up, so I left my job and started SFJones Architects — with Spago becoming my very first client.
MB Post - A Local Favorite Born from Community
Since that time, I've led or worked on many projects, and every one is special in its own way. But there are a couple that stick out — like when Chef David LeFevre approached me with a project that has become deeply connected to the local community in Manhattan Beach.
He introduced me to his farm-to-table, shareable dining concept, and we designed a space that embraced the relaxed beach culture of the South Bay. It quickly became a local favorite. The restaurant is MB Post, and in many ways, that same community-first philosophy inspired our more recent work on California Surf Club.
Lucky Strike - From One Restaurant to a National Brand
Many of my projects, like MB Post, are one-and-done. But occasionally, we have work that starts small and grows rapidly.
For example, after completing several projects at Hollywood & Highland in the early 2000s, we were given the opportunity to create a new concept. The idea was to combine bowling, dining, music, and nightlife into a single entertainment experience — at the time, no one was really doing that. It connected with people immediately and quickly grew from a single location into a national brand.
The company is Lucky Strike, and after that first success, we went on to design more than ten additional Lucky Strike locations throughout Southern California and across the country.
Stay tuned — I'll be sharing more of the projects that have defined these 30 years.