A Brief History of BJSA
Byron J. Stewart and the evolution of a full-service
architecture and planning firm
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Before founding BJSA, Byron J. Stewart & Associates, APC, Mr. Stewart earned priceless experience under the tutelage of some of America's most honored master architects, including C.W. Fentress (who himself worked with the world-renowned I.M. Pei), James Bradburn, Arthur Q. Davis and Augie Perez.  

Although Stewart steadily built a reputation as one of New Orleans' most innovative architects and businesspeople, his joint venture partnership with Perez, Ernst & Farnet on the mammoth Harrah's New Orleans Casino project catapulted him from a widely respected "promising young architect" to a major player in the regional architectural design community.  After graduating with a degree in architecture from Southern  University of Baton Rouge, Stewart plunged into a

series of increasingly challenging positions.  He worked briefly as an architectural intern for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Denver-based Stansbury & Associates and Bertram A. Bruton & Associates (the lead architect on Denver's famed Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium) before landing his first job as a project architect/designer at C.W. Fentress (now Fentress & Bradburn).  Later, Stewart's association with Perez Limited - the architect for the 1984 World's Fair - led to a position as staff architect/project manager for the Regional Transit Authority.  Following his tenure at RTA, he spent more than year as chief architect and director of the CIAP program at the Housing Authority of New Orleans.

Since forming his own firm in 1990, Stewart has designed and/or managed a wide range of public and private sector projects, including small churches, retail stores, residences, office buildings,  schools, libraries,  restaurants, stadiums, ground and air transportation facilities, rail projects, public utility buildings, and large-scale convention and multi-purpose facilities.  Signature projects include Harrah's New Orleans Casino, the Shreveport Convention Center, mixed-use housing/commercial

 developments and the New Orleans Convention Center.

Stewart's accomplishments have been duly noted by a number of nationally known architects as well as past and former clients, The local and national media have also recognized the firm's stature.  Stewart and BJSA have been the subject of several major feature stories in such publications as The New Orleans Tribune, the Shreveport Times and the national business magazine, Black Enterprise, among others.

BJSA's client-focused philosophy, attention to detail and broad working knowledge of optimal design principles for both the private and public sector provide lasting value on all the firm's projects.  

"Architecture," Stewart says, "should reflect the needs and values of the population it serves and the space it occupies. Architecture should also be a creative expression that encourages cooperative and effective living and working conditions.   At its best, architecture is a record of our past, a design for living in the present, and a symbol of hope for our future.  Architecture speaks to the highest ideals of civilization."

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