William M. Ingemann and Milton V. Bergstedt (firm)

Name

William M. Ingemann and Milton V. Bergstedt

Location

St. Paul, MN

Firm History Sources

Firm succession:
Text from BWBR firm history at http://www.bwbr.com/people/history, copied in 2014.
1920s: Bill Ingemann, the much-praised designer of the Lowell Inn in Stillwater, Minnesota, established a solo architecture practice in Saint Paul. Dorothy Brink Ingemann, his wife, executed many of the firm's presentation drawings, becoming one of the first women architects in Minnesota.
1940s: Milton Bergstedt joined Ingemann as partner, and the firm flourished in the post-war boom.
1950s: Ingemann left the partnership and Jim Hirsch joined Bergstedt; the new team led the design of facilities such as churches and YMCAs, projects that mirrored Bergstedt's personal involvement in civil rights and other social issues. People who would later add their initials to the firm's name—Chuck Wahlberg, Lloyd Bergquist, and Fritz Rohkohl—joined the firm.
1960s: The firm expanded its reach into office, municipal, school, and bank buildings. It completed the Degree of Honor building, the first post-Depression—and air conditioned—office building in downtown St. Paul, Minn., as well as the Osborn Building (Ecolab headquarters).
1970s: The company's work expanded into the health care market with the completion of Abbott Northwestern Hospital's Sister Kenny Institute. The firm's name became BWBR Architects after its principals: Bergstedt, Wahlberg, Bergquist, Rohkohl.
1980s: Several large projects in the 1980s elevated the firm to a major player in the Upper Midwest: the expansion of North Memorial Medical Center, the Minnesota Correctional Facility for Women, the Minnesota Mutual Life Center (now Securian), and Carlson Center's twin towers.
1990s: In the 1990s, the firm's employees grew to 100. Among other multimillion-dollar projects, BWBR completed the Lawson Commons office tower in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota. The firm also expanded its reputation for designing buildings for performance: These included Xcel Energy's Energy Design Assistance prototype project, the University of Minnesota's Nils Hasselmo Hall Basic Sciences Building.
2000s: After working in Wisconsin for more than 30 years, BWBR expanded its Midwest presence in 2012 by opening a new office in Madison and now includes almost 130 employees providing clients with comprehensive solutions to complex needs. Using the most current technological tools and techniques, BWBR continues to blend innovation with knowledge, helping people and organizations create innovative, efficient, intuitive environments that improve what they do.

Related Records

Milton Victor Bergstedt
William M. Ingemann

Archival Holdings

The American Institute of Architects Archives
      Architects Roster questionnaire, 1946, contains information about the firm and its key personnel.

Publications