AO founder Jack Selman gives a thumbs up as he receives a letterman jacket from AO Managing Partner RC Alley during the firm’s 50th anniversary luncheon earlier this year.

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AO

Founded by Orange High School graduates and longtime Orange residents Jack Selman and Leland Stearns in 1974, architecture firm AO is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

“AO’s first project was secured by a handshake with a friend,” recalls Hugh Rose, one of AO’s Managing Partners.

Rebranding from Architects Orange to AO in 2019, the organization has grown into one of the largest architecture firms in Orange County, with a team of more than 350 professionals.  Today, AO is one of the largest employers in Orange, with 17 studios and seven offices across the country.

“In the early days, the AO team took on various assignments, such as office buildings and multifamily apartments, small retail tenant improvements and anything that came our way,” shares Rose.

In the 1990s, the firm began exploring a new multifamily product type known as the Texas Donut.  Selman and a partner traveled to Texas to study this building type, made some modifications and introduced it to Southern California.  AO pioneered this new “wrap” building structure, completing its first project in 1999 with Windsor apartments at Main Place, in Orange.

AO founder Jack Selman sits atop an unfinished staircase at 144 North Orange St. in this circa late 1970s photo.

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Since then, AO has become a leader in the multifamily architecture industry, specializing in garden walk-up apartments, podium, mixed-use and modular, from affordable housing to market-rate and luxury communities.  The firm also designs across the full- spectrum of commercial real estate, including industrial, hospitality, retail and restaurants. AO’s services have grown to provide full-service planning, interior and landscape design.

Initially established at the historic Barger Building, AO later opened a permanent office at 144 North Orange St. in 1976, where the company is still headquartered.

“The City of Orange has held a special place in AO’s heart since the firm’s inception 50 years ago,” says Rose.

AO’s mark on Orange includes more than 100,000 square feet of retail and commercial space and more than 1,600 apartment units.  AO’s campus is spread across five buildings around the Plaza, where it has established a community partnership program, securing discounts from local businesses as valued regulars.

“Orange has become our home, especially within the Old Towne Orange community,” says Rose.  “You’ll often find our team sketching by the Plaza Park Fountain and enjoying coffee, lunch or happy hour at local eateries.”

Notable projects in the City of Orange include Orange Lutheran High School, Bosscat Kitchen & Libations, Starbucks and O Sea in Old Towne, as well as Aura & Vita apartments, Cameo apartments and Renaissance at Uptown Orange.

“The theme of our 50th anniversary year, ‘Remembering who we are, Becoming who we want to be,’ encapsulates our reflections on the past and our aspirations for the future,” says Rose.  “We aim to continually push the boundaries of what is possible in architecture.”

AO
144 North Orange St., Old Towne Orange, CA 92866  /  714-639-9860