Weaver Architects Moves to Banner Hall

Architect John Weaver doesn’t like to be alone.

The Jackson native and principal of Weaver Architects, whose projects have included residential remodels, most notably, Castle Crest in Woodland Hills, and civic projects like Fondren Park, says working from home was never an option for him. Now, with the sale of his State Street office to the Mabus Agency, Weaver is moving to the hustle and bustle of North Fondren’s Banner Hall.

Weaver started his career as the resident designer for Ken Simmons’s Homeworks at the corner of Mitchell Avenue and Mill Street and later, was a tenant there as he built his own firm. In 2005, he purchased a former home in the Fondren Overlay District — near Fondren Muse — and remodeled it, nearly top to bottom.

“When we renovated, there were three of us with degrees and a fourth came along,” he says of his staff of architects. “We had a lot of work and a lot of space.”

As architects moved on and the economic crash of 2008 hit hard, Weaver had downsized to a staff of one. With nearly an acre of property to keep up and so much space under roof, he made a decision to sell. “The deal with the Mabus’s just came up,” Weaver explains. “My wife was working with someone who knew Josh and Mary Meghan (Mabus), who were looking for an old house in Jackson on State Street. And she knew I was looking to share some space in my office. We started talking about them renting, but they asked to buy and I said ‘yes.’”

But with the sale, Weaver was lamenting the loss of one thing: his 10′ x 11’ back corner office with multiple windows. “I sat in the corner and looked out at the trees when I could,” he recalls. “It was a great space, and I never had to turn the lights on.”

And then he found the third floor at Banner Hall. With expansive windows that invite views as far north as Renaissance at Colony Park, Weaver says, “I kept coming back to how bright it is. I guess I have a thing for natural light.”

And company. In all of his past offices, Weaver says he has been isolated. “I started looking at different places, and, when I walked in (Banner Hall), there was always something going on.” With retail neighbors like Bliss, Lemuria and Fresh Ink, and Broad Street on the ground floor, there’s always someone else around. “I tend to move every ten years, so, I kind of thought, for the next ten years, this could be a hip spot to be.”

Weaver plans to move in between Christmas and New Year’s Day. For now, reach him at 601.981.7921 or at WeaverArchitects.com.