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Association of Licensed Architects
Since 1999. Rooted in 1897.
The practical, welcoming home for working architects.The Association of Licensed Architects was born in the fall of 1999, founded by a group of architects who had served on the boards of other associations and wanted a community that delivered real value through education, collaboration, and a commitment to advancing the profession. In November 1999 the Illinois Society of Architects, the oldest independent state organization of architects in the country, joined ALA and brought more than a century of legacy with it. In October 2004 we chartered our first chapter in Wisconsin. ALA has grown ever since, setting record attendance at its programs while keeping dues affordable and services genuinely practical: an industry-leading magazine, continuing education, free member contracts, and networking that works. We are open to all architects and the professionals around them, across 34 states and beyond. A legacy older than the license itselfThrough the Illinois Society of Architects, ALA carries the story of American licensure. In 1897 a group of Chicago architects formed the Chicago Architects’ Business Association, the first independent state organization of architects in the United States, to defend professional standards and the public against fraudulent building practice. That same year they helped draft and pass the Illinois Architectural Act of 1897, the first law licensing architects anywhere in the country and the model other states followed. The society investigated the Iroquois Theatre fire, patented uniform building contract documents in 1912, took the name Illinois Society of Architects in 1914, and organized and advanced the first funds for the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards in 1920. When ISA merged into ALA in 1999, that century of practical, public-minded work became part of who we are. 1897
Chicago architects found the first independent state architects’ organization and win the nation’s first licensing law. 1914 – 1920
Renamed the Illinois Society of Architects; seeds the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. 1999
ALA is founded in the fall; the ISA joins in November, uniting a new association with the oldest legacy in the country. 2004 – Today
Wisconsin chapter chartered; ALA grows to members in 34 states with record program attendance. The founding membersFive architects laid the groundwork for the association ALA is today. Their vision still sets our direction. Founding Member
Don E. Erickson, FALADon Erickson apprenticed under Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin, and the master’s organic principles ran through everything he built across a five-decade Chicago-area practice: dramatic residences, hotels, and commercial work shaped by site, light, and structure. Having served on other associations’ boards, he wanted an organization as practical as the architects it served, and helped found ALA to be exactly that. James K. Zahn, Esq., FALAArchitect and attorney, Zahn spent more than three decades in Chicago construction law as a partner at Sabo & Zahn, counsel to design professionals on contracts, licensing, and disputes. Patrick C. Harris, FALA · Melvin S. Markson, FALA · Gary Ruck, FALAFounding members who, with Erickson and Zahn, had each served on the boards of other architectural associations before creating ALA. Mission
To advance the architectural profession through education and support. Vision
To make a positive, lasting impact on the built environment. Motto
Architects united to advance the Profession of Architecture. Our StoryThe milestones, from 1897 to today. Leadership & BoardThe architects who serve the association. ChaptersIllinois, Wisconsin, and beyond. ContactReach the ALA office. We answer. More than an association.Join the architects, allied professionals, and students who carry a 128-year legacy forward. Open to all. |
The Association
