James “Jamie” Cosgriff has Thursday night pasta to thank for his longtime career in architecture.
Growing up in Jacksonville, he remembers a classmate’s father who was both an architect and the owner of the popular Lonzerotti’s Italian Restaurant. After this man treated Jamie’s football team to pre-game meals every weekend, Jamie figured architecture might be a good career path.
He didn’t know much about the profession but ended up at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Advanced Technical Studies, with an emphasis in Architecture. He also earned an Associate of Applied Science, Architectural Technology from SIU.
It was an ad in the paper that brought Jamie to Graham & Hyde. When he first joined, the firm was partnering with many schools and churches around central Illinois, and he was hooked. “I love working with institutions that are focused on their traditions and history with an eye on the next 50 years down the road,” he says.
Jamie still lives in Jacksonville with his family: wife Cathy is a NICU nurse at St. John’s Hospital and three kids, a son in college and two teenage daughters. Jamie has been heavily involved with his kids’ athletic careers, coaching his son in football and daughters in basketball and softball. You’ll still find him running to games in all seasons of the year.
Jamie’s love of sports expands to community service too; he currently volunteers with the Jr. Irish Youth Football Organization. He is also a board member of the Routt Catholic Education Foundation and the Our Saviour Education Foundation.
Today, Jamie brings two decades of architecture, planning and interior design work to G&H and serves as a member of the American Institute of Architects, Central Illinois Chapter of AIA and Association for Learning Environments. He specializes in architectural design visualization, including three-dimensional computer generated modeling and animation, that create realistic project views for the firm’s clients.