History

It’s an American story.

Inspired by his father’s architectural talents and entrepreneurial spirit, Ted Sente decided to pursue an architectural degree at the Budapest Technical Institute and dreamed of some day opening his own firm.

Ted’s dream was deferred over the next decade by extraordinary and heartbreaking events: World War II – enduring 10 years as a political prisoner, fighting during the Hungarian Revolution, and losing his family during the war. Disenchanted with the communist take over of his country, Ted took his young bride and decided to pursue the American dream by moving to Chicago, Illinois.

Ted obtained his first job as an architect at the Skokie firm of Morton Z. Levine & Associates and shortly thereafter obtained his architectural license.  He worked at Levine for 10 years and soon became the lead architect with increasing management responsibilities.  The firm was a medium-size general practice that designed commercial, retail, religious and institutional buildings.

The Promise of the American Dream

In the mid 1960’s Joe Rubel joined the firm.  A skilled and hard worker, Joe soon became a frequently requested team member on Ted’s projects.  The two formed a close bond and when an unexpected announcement came from the owner to either close the practice or relocate it to Florida, Ted and Joe decided that they would take their chances, stay in Chicago and start the firm known today as SRBL Architects.

Since 1971, SRBL Architects has held many names but the founders’ fundamental principles endure: “do the right thing”, “care about your clients and their projects” and “always conduct yourself with the highest of integrity”.  Years later, these principles translated into the firm’s first corporate tagline, “The Power of Promises Kept”.

Ted and Joe’s first big break was a call from United Airlines requesting the firm design their new flight kitchen.  Similar to most medium size firms of the time, SRBL started as a general practice.  This project propelled the firm into their first specialty niche of airport design that spanned almost 15 years and included terminal, concourse and baggage handling facilities for United and all the major carriers that called O’Hare International Airport their home during the 1970’s and early 1980’s.    

Trusted Partner in Public Spaces

The firm’s next specialty market, recreational design, evolved from an expertise brought to the firm by an early partner, Henry Hanrath, who had a strong YMCA and country club design background.  The firm designed YMCAs locally and nationally for several years until the growing portfolio caught the attention of the Round Lake Area Park District Executive Director who commissioned the firm to design a new community center.  From this project, SRBL entered a new era of marketing which involved exhibiting at trade shows and becoming a proactive member of clients’ associations like the Illinois Association of Park Districts.

The concept of becoming highly specialized in a few key areas appealed to the technical expertise of key firm members and proved to be a successful model that SRBL continues to the present day.

As the park and recreational market sector flourished, park district clients referred SRBL to their peers at other local governmental entities including municipalities and fire districts.  With a knack for delving deeply into complex specialties, SRBL has become the premier public safety and municipal architect in Illinois and has now expanded its police specialty to a national presence serving as a police design consultant to medium and large size national departments working with a local architect of record.  The firm is solidly in its third generation of ownership and is positioning itself for an eventual fourth generation.