Alex Rice, coach of the Taney Dragons, the Little League baseball team featuring a girl pitcher that came so very close to winning the world championship, will join West Chester’s Archer and Buchanan Architecture, Ltd. on April 1.

Rice joins the firm as a project architect at the top of his professional and civic games. The Philadelphia Inquirer has just named Rice the 2014 Citizen of the Year and states he led children who became a unifying force in a town too easily divided by race, income and attitudes.

“Given Alex’s extraordinary contributions to the Taney Dragons and to Philadelphia, we could not be more proud to have him as part of our team here at Archer and Buchanan Architecture, Ltd.,” said Richard Buchanan, AIA, a principal at Archer and Buchanan. “He brings many years of experience to the table as well as a passion for traditional design which we are confident will be a tremendous asset to our firm.”

Rice, a Philadelphia resident, has practiced for more than 20 years and specializes in award-winning historic preservation, restoration and renovation projects on urban, suburban and rural sites. He has worked on the renovation of the US Supreme Court Building, the Academy of Music and the Pennsylvania State Capitol, and more recently on high-end residential landmarks including Androssan in Villanova and historic homes throughout Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Philadelphia counties.

“I have always admired Archer and Buchanan’s work,” said Rice.  “The firm’s ability to understand the best vernacular structures of our area, recognize why they are so compelling, extract the details and gestures that make them so successful, and re-interpret them with designs that resonate, is unparalleled in my opinion. They create architecture that is deeply meaningful and firmly rooted in the culture of our area, and I am grateful and honored to work with them.”

Rice serves on the board of directors for Taney Little League, is active on the Washington Square West Civic Association and on the Center City District/Central Philadelphia Development Corporation.  He is a graduate of Drexel University and the Washington University School of Architecture. Read the Inquirer editorial here:

Archer and Buchanan is a 19-year-old firm located at 19 W. Miner St.