May 16, 2026
By: David Masters, AIA, NCARB—May 16, 2026—When most people think about architecture firms, the buildings and spaces we create come to mind—and rightly so. As architects and designers, we shape environments for living, working, worshipping, shopping, and playing. Our work can impact the built environment for decades, even centuries.
But for those of us inside the profession, we know it’s much more than that. Firms are made up of people—the ones who do the creating. For most of us, architecture is not just a job; it’s a passion. And like any workplace, satisfaction is driven as much by the people you work with as by the work itself.
As we begin telling the 40-year story of Merriman Anderson Architects, the projects matter—but the real story is the people behind them. Our founder, Jerry Merriman, understood that we are only as good as our people, and he wanted everyone to feel like part of a family. In 1987, the Merriman family of architects and designers was born. This is our story.
Jerry Merriman grew up in Mitchell, South Dakota, where he developed a Midwestern sense of practicality and a strong work ethic. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma in 1971, he moved to Dallas, where he would spend his entire career. He worked in the office of George Dahl—perhaps Dallas’s most esteemed architect—and was exposed to many of downtown’s most prominent buildings. Jerry later joined a larger local firm, where he quickly rose to a leadership position and earned his clients’ trust and confidence.
But Jerry wanted more. He envisioned building his own firm, applying the lessons—both good and bad—that he had learned along the way. So, in April 1987, with his wife, Deby’s, support, he founded Merriman Associates Architects. At the time, the “associates” had yet to arrive, so it was truly a husband-and-wife operation.
At an anniversary celebration in the early 2000s, Jerry reflected on those early days. He would put on a suit and tie each morning, hoping the phone would ring, while Deby filled the roles of bookkeeper, marketing director, office manager, and HR department. They set up shop in a small office in Preston Center—Preston Commons, to be precise.
Work came slowly at first, and results were limited. Jerry and Deby even discussed shutting down the business. Then came a call from Jim Apple of Trammell Crow Company. In the 1980s and 1990s, Trammell Crow was the largest real estate company in Dallas and one of the biggest in the country. Even today, it’s hard to find someone in the industry who didn’t work for or with them.
Trammell Crow was looking for an architecture firm to work exclusively with them—essentially an in-house partner—and Merriman Associates received the offer. Jerry was a shrewd businessman, but this decision required little deliberation. In 1994, MAA opened an office on the 38th floor of Texas Commerce Tower (now Chase Tower) in downtown Dallas. Trammell Crow occupied the 37th floor, giving brokers, leasing agents, and construction teams easy access to the MAA office above.
As part of the arrangement, Jerry also opened offices in Boca Raton, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, each dedicated to serving Trammell Crow. Almost overnight, Jerry went from searching for work to trying to keep up with it.
The Preston Center office remained home base, handling what we jokingly called the “glamorous” projects—restaurants, hotels, and office buildings. The restaurants were largely Steak and Ale locations, the hotels were primarily Red Roof Inns, and many of the office buildings were Class B or C projects, particularly in Austin.
Meanwhile, the Trammell Crow offices were up and running. Boca Raton and Charlotte each started with a single employee, while the downtown Dallas office started with three or four employees and grew to about nine—six architects, two interior designers, and a receptionist.
In April 1995, I met Jerry for the first time during a Saturday job morning interview at the Preston Center office. He was immediately likable—humble but clearly driven by a vision. I was hired to work in the downtown office, and on May 30, 1995, I stepped into the busiest, most intense environment I had ever experienced.
That intensity came from the pace set by Trammell Crow, whose brokers were responding to equally demanding clients. I went from working on five or six projects a year to ten or twelve a week. We took pride in producing high volumes of quality work in short timeframes, and more importantly, we learned how to truly listen to—and understand—our clients.
Business was booming in both Dallas and the out-of-state offices. Jerry was traveling frequently, especially to Charlotte, which began to take a toll. There, he met an architect named Steve Schmitt whose work closely aligned with ours. Their relationship grew into a partnership, and in 1996, Merriman Schmitt Architects (MSA) was formed. This allowed Jerry to maintain a presence in North Carolina without the challenges of managing it from Dallas. MSA remains a successful firm today.
Eventually, Jerry closed the Boca Raton office due to time demands and smaller profits. When it came time to renew the Trammell Crow Dallas contract for the Dallas office, he chose not to, recognizing the strain it placed on the MAA team. The relationship with Trammell Crow continued, but without the demands of a dedicated in-house office.
Those of us left in the downtown office moved to Preston Center, where we continued to work with Trammell Crow but also took on other project types. The MAA family had grown to about 20 members. In true family fashion, Jerry and Deby’s high school–aged children, Craig and Paige, worked in the office after school and during the summer, answering phones and running errands.
With the downtown team now assimilated into the Preston office, MAA was growing in both numbers and projects. We added temporary satellite space in another Preston Commons building, but plans were already underway for a more permanent home. In early 1997, we relocated to the Bank One building (now Chase) next door to Preston Commons.
For me, this was the first MAA office that truly felt like home. Unlike previous spaces, this one was designed by us and for us. It featured an open layout with few walls and even fewer doors—reflecting Jerry’s emphasis on staff interaction and collaboration. While most conversations were work-related, college football—especially OU football—was a close second.
Mondays were great after OU victories, but we kept our heads down after losses—which, at the time, happened fairly often. For those of us from rival schools, beating OU was always a bit bittersweet because we were going to be collateral damage on Mondays. As Jerry grew older—particularly after becoming a grandfather, the OU losses, which were now infrequent, became much easier for him to take.
One of our favorite memories of that office was the breakroom, which was stocked with snacks from Sam’s Club, and occasionally, where Jerry posted pointed letters to the President of OU about the sorry state of the football program. We took turns making supply runs, each trying to outdo the last with more junk food. The only real limit was how much space we had in our cars.
On the professional side, our work continued to evolve. We began taking on projects with Bank One across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Red Roof Inns gave way to Marriott and Sheraton properties, and we saw our first multi-family developments. Office work in Austin picked up again—this time with Class A buildings.
As our projects grew in size and complexity, it became clear we needed a dedicated design leader. In the winter of 1996, Milton Anderson began discussions with Jerry about joining as Director of Design. They reached an agreement, and Milton officially started in January 1997—though in reality, he had already spent several evenings in the office beforehand.
One of his early projects was Lakewood on the Park in Austin. It needed to be exceptional, and under Milton’s guidance, it was. The bar was set—and it has continued to rise in the decades since.
All the pieces were now in place, but one question loomed large: could a
Sooner named Jerry and a Longhorn named Milton get along?