Meet MaryCate Azelborn, the newest member of our Architectural Design Team!
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.
MaryCate: I love anything creative – my favorite hobbies include drawing, painting, and any kind of crafting. Currently, I’m in the middle of sewing my first quilt, but I also enjoy making clothes, bags, and even furniture covers. Recently, I took up woodworking by hand and made myself a bench. I also absolutely adore dogs and have a 6-month-old Australian Shepherd who takes up a lot of my time and attention.
Q: Why did you want to become an Architect?
MaryCate: I decided that I wanted to be an architect in fourth grade because my class took an aptitude test, and it was then that I learned what an architect even was. Before then, I’d never heard of the profession. However, as soon as I found out that it would combine my two favorite subjects (math and art), I knew it was the perfect career path for me.
Q: What do you enjoy most about the types of projects you work on?
MaryCate: I love old buildings, so my favorite part of historic projects is getting to see the nooks and crannies of historic buildings that wouldn’t normally be shown to the public. It doesn’t happen with every project, but when it does it’s always exciting.
Q: Why did you decide to join the Klingner team?
MaryCate: I was looking for a firm that worked with historic properties, which Klingner certainly does! I also wanted a firm that was well-established, but that would be able to give me a wide-range of projects and design experiences.
Q: If you could pick up a skill instantly, what would it be?
MaryCate: I would choose to know how to create stained glass pieces. Both because I love stained glass artwork and wish I could create it myself, but also because one of my great uncles used to create pieces that have now become family heirlooms. Sometimes they get damaged or broken, and I find it would be so helpful and fascinating to know how to fix them.
Q: What was your first job?
MaryCate: I worked at a make-and-take art studio. For a creative high schooler, it was the dream job. We had all the supplies to do fun art projects, starting with a paper-mache form or a wooden cutout, all the way through painting, decoupage, or even mosaics. When we weren’t busy, I spent my time creating samples to serve as inspiration.