H. Jack Begrow, A.I.A, has been actively designing properties throughout the United States for over 40 years. His diverse abilities include a wide variety of design styles, from Cottage to Contemporary or Cape Code. While he primarily designs homes in the $1 million plus range today, Begrow has also designed over 2000 condominium units in Michigan and numerous commercial and resort structures. As a traditional architect, Begrow still designs by hand, bringing to each project an artistic style often missing in the younger computer-trained architects of today. Owners particularly enjoy the wonderful hand illustrations of the exterior or interior views of their home plans, helping to make each project come alive before the home is built.

Begrow is very particular about the details of each home, seeking out only the finest master craftsmen for home construction and implementation of custom features like stone fireplaces, tile or slate flooring, custom cabinetry, etched glass, hand-made doors, railings or fixtures. His firm, in Charlevoix, Michigan, is associated with InDesign, an interior and furniture design firm owned by Tim Fisher.

Begrow has designed custom homes all over Northern Michigan including many on Lake Charlevoix, Walloon Lake, Torch Lake and around the ski resorts at Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands. He has designed homes in Harbor Springs, Petoskey (including Bay Harbor), Charlevoix, Traverse City and the Leelanau Peninsula, as well as around the Detroit suburbs of Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham.

History

In 1955 Begrow earned a Masters in Architecture from the University of Michigan and quickly launched his career. His early work includes design positions with O'Dell, Hewlett and Luckenbach, Birmingham, MI, and Swanson Associates, Bloomfield Hills, MI, where he served as designing supervisor for the 25,000 student Michigan State University extension campus in Pontiac. Begrow also worked under astute architect Minoro Yamasaki, who is world renowned.

Begrow launched the firm of Begrow +Brown in 1957 with the proceeds from his achievement as the Grand Prize winner in a national competition for the design of The Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This $3 million museum dedicated to the preservation of the West still draws over 5 million visitors a year from around the world.

In 1962 Begrow formed his own firm and moved his wife and children to the resort community of Charlevoix, located in Northern Michigan. At the time, Begrow was commissioned to design Shanty Creek Lodge, Bellaire, Michigan, www.shantycreek.com, a property that has grown and expanded into a year-round resort with lodge, private residences, condominiums, Arnold Palmer Golf Course and skiing facilities. Since 1962, Begrow has designed over 2,000+ condominium units, over 280 private residences and hundreds of churches, retail businesses, restaurants and banks throughout the U.S and the Virgin Islands. He has been registered with the National Council for Architectural Registration Boards since 1978.

Begrow's architecture is as diverse as his interests. An active sailboat racer, traveler and skier, he has devoted his life to creating architecture that works with the environment and an enjoyable lifestyle. He designs residential and commercial properties to maximize the scenery and natural assets of the site, from spectacular views to prime forest. Begrow has also researched and implemented many types of energy-efficient technologies that utilize the resources of the sun and earth for heating & cooling, energy storage, and electricity.