New Jersey
Law Passed: 1902 • Joined NCARB: 1923 • Region 2—Middle-Atlantic (1965)
The Components of Licensure
Education
1919: The board considers establishing an educational component for licensure, but does not.
1971: In lieu of a degree from a NAAB-accredited program, applicants can document 13 years of experience.
1988: A degree from a NAAB-accredited program (or its equivalent) is required.
Experience
1971: Applicants with a degree from a NAAB-accredited program must complete three years of experience.
1998: The IDP is required, in addition to a three-year duration requirement. The IDP was updated to the AXP in 2016.
Examination
1963: New Jersey begins administering NCARB’s national exam.
Noteworthy
The first meeting of the New Jersey State Board of Architects was held on April 29, 1902.
First female board member Eleanor Pettersen was the first woman to open her own architectural firm in New Jersey. Her best-known work is a 15-room house in Saddle River, NJ, which became the post-White House home of Richard M. Nixon.
In 1989, a Joint Committee of Architects and Engineers was created to examine an area of concurrent practice between the practice of architecture and the practice of engineering, specifically in the area of building design. Board member Bernard Kellenyi was instrumental in developing the Building Design Services Act, which clarified the parameters of practice for architects and engineers, eliminating uncertainty and providing regulation for future disputes.
In 1997, New Jersey began requiring continuing education.
New Jersey has a “single family exemption,” which allows any to act as a designer of a detached single family dwelling intended as a residence for that person or member of that person’s immediate family.
Notable People
NCARB President
1964: Paul W. Drake, FAIA (Summit)
Additional Members of the NCARB Board of Directors
1968-70: Richard J. Chorlton (Princeton)
1981-84: Bernard A. Kellenyi, FAIA (Red Bank)
1989-91: James S. Gaspari (North Brunswick)
First Chairman/President
1902: Charles P. Baldwin, FAIA (Newark)
First Board Members
Hugh Roberts (Jersey City)
Charles Edwards (Paterson)
David B. Provost (Elizabeth)
Arnold H. Moses, FAIA (Camden)
First License Issued
1902: Charles P. Baldwin, FAIA (Newark)
First Woman Licensed
1902: Margaret L. MacNaughton
First African-American Architect
1908: George Washinton Foster Jr.
First Female Board Member
1973: Eleanor K. Pettersen
First Landscape Architect Member
1984: Roy H. DeBoer
First Interior Designer Member
2003: Diane Gote
NCARB President Medalist
1999: Bernard A. Kellenyi, FAIA (Red Bank)
