Clients & Testimonials

The Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) has worked with Johnson Roberts Associates (JRA) on several projects through our house doctor/on-call contract. Projects have ranged from studies, building assessments, design, and construction services. We have found JRA to be professional, efficient, and thoughtful about public buildings.
The bullets below summarize JRA’s strong points:

• Timely turnaround with meeting minutes, design submittals, meeting milestones, submittals, RFIs, SKs, ASIs and CO review
• Good follow up when DCR wants to research different products, very responsive with relevant and technical information
• Ability to work well with both contractors and the client (DCR)
• Offer creative solutions and direct contractor and client in the field to problem solve and realize cost savings
• Ability to meet challenging deadlines and work with a 24/7 park agency

Overall JRA has demonstrated their ability to tackle complex assignments to produce high quality results — whether it’s a rehabilitation of one of our many historic park buildings or updating an existing facility to improve functionality and aesthetics. DCR welcomes the opportunity to work with JRA on future DCR projects.

View some of our DCR House Doctor projects in our Portfolio

We were fortunate to work with a great team of architects that focused on the future of library design during planning, site selection, design development and construction. The East Forest Park Branch is designed with maximum flexibility. During the entire process, the community and the staff were engaged through active listening and careful dialogue. This helped us gain an overall understanding of the community and their needs which resulted in functional and outstanding design. Both the East Forest Park Branch and the Sixteen Acres Branch are vibrant destinations for our residents.

On December 19, 2019 hundreds of guests gathered as the East Forest Park Branch officially opened after 14 months of construction. State, local officials and neighborhood residents praised the design of the new Library.

The Sixteen Acres Branch renovation project included an addition that doubled the size of the Branch in 1999. It is quite a testimonial that over 20 years later, the design is still relevant and meets the needs of our library users.

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I would like to thank everyone for completing the dream of the Dracut Fire Department by replacing an antiquated station with this state-of-the-art facility. You didn’t just create a building, you created something far beyond. For the public, Station 3 will be a beacon of hope, a bulwark for the community against all they fear. What you’ve created for us can only be compared to the Fortress of Solitude or the Batcave (if you’ll allow me an analogy). What you don’t know is that you’ve created a masterpiece beyond what you see. You didn’t create a building; you created a living soul.

Johnson Roberts guided us through a renovation project that was interrupted by COVID. They were our advocate throughout the process and helped us to get the project finished as fast as possible, in spite of pandemic-related delays. Their communication with our project manager and contractor were excellent, and the project came in under budget. This was a public project and Johnson Roberts was chosen for us by the Designer Selection Board; however, we were so pleased with their work that we chose to continue our contract with them so that they can guide us through the master planning process.

Stewart Roberts and team are some of the most professional, kind, knowledgeable, and hardworking people I’ve ever met. Stew went above and beyond on the project when we worked together, and I would recommend him for any job related to municipal architecture that there is. Whether it be a simple consulting opportunity, oversight and guidance on a project that’s underway, or to help create an idea, develop it, sell it to stakeholders, and then build it. He is the best in the business, and I look forward to the possibility of working together again in the future. On a personal note, architecture aside, Stew is one of the best people I’ve ever worked with, in any capacity. A+ for Johnson Roberts Associates.

On behalf of the Trustees, staff and patrons of the Brighton Library I want to thank and congratulate you on achieving Silver LEED certification of the branch. You and your team were instrumental in making sure that we satisfied the demanding LEED requirements.

The branch has been transformed into a beautiful design that welcomes people of all ages to explore, learn, teach, and relax. It embodies the essence of public pride and the neighborhood loves it!

Thank you for the creative effort and intelligent work you invested in this excellent project. It has been a pleasure to work with you.

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As always, we have received exceptional service by your firm, in particular Phil O’Brien. Phil has worked on many projects with the Town of Dracut including the Library, Town Hall and most recently Fire Station #3. Phil and his team are dedicated to the project from day one, offer constructive advice and keep the Town and its Permanent Building Committee on task. They are keenly aware of the need to keep projects on time and within budget. This project in particular has gone very smooth with very few change orders which is a testament to the preparation that took place between the Town and JRA. I would, without hesitation recommend your firm to others.

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Jeff and Mike have performed outstanding on Deerfield Brine Plant, D1 Toilet Rm renovations at Lenox, EZ Pass 145 Havre St and currently finishing up the office building on Vine St, Middleborough. The department and end users are very happy with JRA’s performance during the design and construction phases. These projects have been within the budget the department has planned for. Thank you for your hard work!

View some of our Mass DOT projects in our Portfolio

I am pleased to recommend Johnson Roberts Associates to you as a dedicated and professional architectural firm. They were the architect for the Designer Services phase of our library project. Their design assisted Blackstone in obtaining a $1.9 million dollar library construction grant. They provided a design that more than met the restrictions and challenges of the new site that is located on our Main Street within a historic district. Their thorough understanding of libraries and how a library functions within a community resulted in a design for Blackstone’s new library that is both very beautiful as well as very efficient.

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Every time I am in the renovated Brighton branch, I am amazed at the positive changes your team was able to envision and make happen. It is bright and cheery and feels good when you walk in the door — amazing feat. And it is working, which is also pretty amazing, given what you started with. My hat is off to the entire team. Congratulations and thanks for sticking with us all the way.

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We, as the Centerville Osterville Marstons Mills Fire District, would like to highly recommend Johnson Roberts Associates. They designed our Marstons Mills Fire Station that was recently completed and did a superb job. The station design has fit well into the communities needs and the company was very accommodating to work with throughout the whole building process. There was never any problem contacting them for questions that arose during building.”

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As a member and current President of the Concord Free Public Library Board of Trustees, it has long been among my responsibilities to coordinate building renovation and construction programs for the two branches of our library.

We selected Johnson Roberts Associates over other firms because of their impressive experience with library projects, quality of personnel, creative solutions and perhaps most important, the rapport that we immediately established with them.

The renovations facing the Concord Library were complex. The building is old, oft renovated but never in a comprehensive fashion that addressed its multiple needs. It is located in the heart of one of America’s most historic and frequently visited towns. As such, there is extraordinary visibility, and our expectations are very high. This undertaking required not only thoughtful solutions but also necessitated extremely careful planning to eliminate as much disruption as possible to staff and patrons.

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I am happy to recommend the work of Johnson Roberts Associates. Five years after moving into our much larger and refurbished quarters, I remain delighted with the space created for us. It works for both patron and staff needs, and beautifully reflects the importance of the collections. Because the original space presented a number of out-of-the-ordinary challenges, it was not easy to produce a good result.

What mattered most to me in the course of the project was Stewart’s care in communicating with library staff. My input was solicited and taken into consideration both prior to the drawing up of plans and as questions and issues came up during construction.

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I am pleased to recommend the services of Johnson Roberts Associates, Inc. They completed the renovation of a 1970s, two-story bank building into a modern library facility in 2015 for the community of Effingham, IL. From the beginning of the process, I was pleased and impressed with their knowledge and professionalism. In the end, we have a high-quality building that will last for many years to come and that we are proud to call our home.

I was quite impressed with their attention to detail as well as their sensitivity to the needs of our community. For example, as the library worked to raise the necessary funds, it became clear that the project scope would need to be adjusted. Johnson Roberts Associates was able to adjust the scope and design from a $5 million to a $3.5 million project without sacrificing functionality.

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It is with great pleasure that I offer a letter of reference for Johnson Roberts Associates based on their many projects completed at Tufts University. The firm has provided Tufts with top quality design services in an efficient and expeditious manner.

Their attention to detail, problem solving, creative design solutions and sensitivity to budget provided a sound framework for University decision making. They willingly engaged in an interactive process, with both University representatives and abutting neighbors, demonstrating a keen ability to listen. In addition to major design commissions, the firm completed a number of feasibility studies, space use programs and re-use evaluations. Of particular note is the active involvement of a senior member of the firm throughout the entire project.

I enthusiastically encourage you to give Johnson Roberts Associates your most careful consideration. It is a truly professional organization focused on achieving results for its clients and has my unqualified recommendation.

View some of our Tufts University House Doctor projects in our Portfolio

Now that we’ve been open for a month, I’d like to share with you the many positive comments we’ve been receiving from the public. They can’t believe this library is in Northborough! People love the woodwork, the beautiful windows, and the choices of color, lighting, and materials. Visitors comment on the attention to detail, the logical layout, and the variety of seating options. They talk about how bright the building is. It has exceeded expectations.

I concur. What I think is remarkable is that with the open feel of the building you have retained a human scale and intimacy, which is exactly what I wanted. People are actually staying longer when they visit.

As a librarian, I like the fact that we have excellent sight lines for supervision and good proximity to the areas that we need for daily work. The soundproofing is also quite good.

It’s truly a pleasure to work in this beautiful building. Thank you.

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On behalf of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the Facilities Project Management group would like to recognize Johnson Roberts Associates for your hard work and effort in helping us to successfully complete our summer projects. Tight schedules and tight budgets made the summer projects of 2014 challenging, but we could not have done it without the exceptional performance of your firm.

Jeff Davis was an essential part of the success. He was able to create a solution for a space issue with a limited budget. Thank you for your commitment to excellent service.

View some of our UMass Lowell House Doctor projects in our Portfolio

It’s been a pleasure to work with Jeff. Once it’s completed, John Bapst will have the first full-scale gym and fitness center in its 93-year history. Jeff’s collaboration with our local architects and his own creativity have made the process a wonderful learning experience for our school community.

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The project connected our existing mixture of historic and modern library facilities with an adjacent historic residential home. The work was completed during the global pandemic and supply and labor shortages, and while the library remained open for public use — a very challenging set of circumstances.
In this particularly challenging environment, Johnson Roberts Architects was the pinnacle of supportive and responsive partners. The architects provided excellent communications about the project as it proceeded. They were responsive to the library’s needs and understanding of the design challenges a public building presents.
It was a pleasure to work with the team at Johnson Roberts Associates. The project has been very well received by the staff, the community and the stakeholders, all of whom are proud of what we accomplished together with Johnson Roberts Associates and our build team.