Every day, Cincinnatians walk by or enter buildings and structures that have been touched by KZF Design.
Since our founding in 1956, KZF has been involved in the new design or renovation of buildings and structures that have been longstanding local icons or have become new gems in the crown of the Queen City. The firm’s work is reflected in instantly recognizable Greater Cincinnati landmarks such as the Cincinnati Art Museum, Contemporary Arts Center and Taft Museum, Walnut Hills High School, the Campus Recreation Center at the University of Cincinnati, the Covington Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, the offices and broadcast studios of WCPO-TV, the Grand Baldwin Building and Smale Riverfront Park. KZF has been an instrumental part of shaping the way Cincinnatians live, work, learn and play.
“Celebrating our 60th year is an incredible milestone for our firm. We have grown and flourished through good as well as challenging economic climates these past six decades in a very competitive industry,” said Robert Steele, President/CEO of KZF Design. “Our continued success locally, nationally and internationally speaks to the level of expertise and dedication of our staff and the types of relationships we have forged with our clients. ‘We believe in the promise of design and we deliver on the promise.’ This is the commitment we make to our clients and will be the foundation for our next 60 years.”
Founded as Kral, Zepf, Freitag & Associates in 1956, the three founders began their quest to become a leading regional architecture and engineering firm. Grounding the company in traditional Midwestern values – honesty, integrity and a strong work ethic – they laid the foundation for what KZF is today. By 1969, the multidisciplinary design firm employed more than 100 architects, engineers, designers and planners.
KZF is known for its deep roots and national reach. It is also trusted by local, national and international clients – and world-renowned architects. Their strong reputation has won them partnerships as Architect and Engineer of Record for collaborations with design luminaries such as Zaha Hadid, Pritzker prize-winning architect Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects, the late Michael Graves, George Hargreaves, Ann Beha Architects, Venturi Scott Brown and Associates, Henning Larsen and Rodolfo Machado.
KZF’s Cincinnati headquarters are located in one of the firm’s showcase projects, the award-winning adaptive reuse which transformed an historic, 1915 structure into 21st century, LEED® Gold and ENERGY STAR® certified offices and studios at 700 Broadway Street. The firm feted the founding date with a gathering of current and former employees at 700 Broadway and plans to share a celebration with clients and friends in the summer.