Meet Daniel Nicely | Pro Bono Architect for 501(c)3 Organizations, For Hire Architect + Consultant for Others

We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniel Nicely and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I am inspired by grit and perserverance coupled with humility. I am attracted to integrity and simplicity. I can find this in people, but also in the created and made worlds we live in. Simplicity in this case is not a lack of a complexity, but rather a truthfulness and transparency of the struggle, the result, or both. When I come across this I stop, or at least slow down and try to appreciate it first and take notes second.

What should our readers know about your business?
Dakota is first and foremost a pro bono architecture firm for 501(c)3 charities. We are willing to take on one or two charities a year and work with them on their branding, construction programs, layouts, designs, graphics, construction, or just about any stage of a project at no charge or cost. Often we will limit what we do or how far we get involved with a charity simply from the standpoint of allowing the clients some breathing room or space for changes in direction during natural or expected moments in the process. We also are willing to consult and make recommendations if a project is not for us.

From there we are willing to take on some commercial and some residential work for paying clients. If a charity we are working with has a paid portion of design or the project, we are willing to give a proposal, but only if there are other firms being interviewed for that work. We will even recommend those firms if the client so desires. This firm wasn’t started with the idea of pro bono work being a feeder for paying work. That being said, we will take on paying work. This work is designed to cover the overhead of insurance, licensing, software, etc., and allow us to dig deeper into design theory and belief. Mostly we look for a good fit with a client and a challenge in terms of the project. There are a few basic questions in this process before we get to the much harder ones down the line. Questions such as: We are willing to take them on, but are they willing to take us on? That is, one guy and a ton of consultants and friends. Are they fun and easy to work with? Conversational grace is a continuous goal on our end. Does the client have a similar goal? Do they understand the process? Can we explain it to them if they do not? Are they looking for design or merely a drafting service? Are they looking for professionals or employees? Those are important things to establish before asking things like: “Do you have a site survey?” “Do you have a program?” “Do you have enough money for the design and the construction?” Cart + Horse.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Depending on the friend, let’s say an architect buddy and also a person who could use a good vacation from practice. Okay? (Possibly my friend Leap Chear). I would start off their first morning off by taking them to Lafayette Village in Raleigh for some breakfast and (possibly) iffy conversation. Mornings are hard without coffee and food. I would then show them some of the great things happening in the downtown area after a quick stop at the AIA Center for Architecture and Design by Frank Harmon, FAIA. I would definitely include the Warehouse District, the great Union Station by local firm -Clearscapes and CAM -The Contemporaty Art Museum by Brooks and Scarpa. I would include some of the little shops and galleries in the area and either a food hall for lunch or, if they are charitable, a meal at “A Place at the Table” -which does great work for the transitional population of our city. After lunch I would like to take them to the Hunt Library at North Carolina State University. My son attends State currently, and it would be great to reintroduce my friend to my son at a library designed by the Norwegian powerhouse firm, Snohetta. That introduction could take place in front of the book robot before touring the impressive facility. Dinner that night could be something a little more formal like Oak Steakhouse, or something lighter and yet equally as tasty like Gym Tacos on Hillsborough Street. We could then wander the aisles of Quail Ridge Bookstore or some of the nice shops in Midtown before calling it a day.

The next day I would take my friend to breakfast either at Benetis in Durham, or to RISE if they were more of a biscuit and donut person. This would be the pre-qualifier round before walking around the Nasher Museum at Duke University. This building was an ah-ha! moment of discovery for my wife (and me) on a morning date one year. The building was designed by Rafael Viñoly who had an impressive, if not occasionally embattled, career and global firm. It is one of my favorite museums in the area. Hopefully my friend is visiting at a time when we can walk around downtown and look at the work of some of Durham’s best. Phil Freelon and The Freelon Group -before and after they merged with Perkins + Will was and is a powerhouse of not only good work, but also good works for the community. This is someone I wish I had met before he left this world in 2019. We could look and talk about the firms and the revitalization of this storied town. Firms like Ellen Cassilly, Duda Paine, Little and so many more. Some of these firms showed me their own forms of grace when I was still representing products instead of specifying them, and I haven’t forgotten their Southern Hospitality to this nomadic transplant. I would then steer him over to King’s for a burger. There are a cornucopia of great burger places in Durham and the Triangle, but this place with its walk up order window and simple straightforward approach is a favorite. My friend Mark from nearby NEST Realty turned me on to this place. After lunch we would roll over to the Museum of Life and Science to check out the museum and especially the Butterfly Sanctuary which my kids loved for one reason and I loved for another that I can not find words for then or now. For dinner I would suggest that we continue the healthy lifestyle we have been engaged in and head on over to the Durham Bulls Ballpark for a game and a dog or two. Or maybe three. Minor league ball is fun, relaxing, and comes without all the pretension of the bigs. The Bulls are the Best of the best. I love it. But only if I am under the canopy of the grandstand -I burn easily and also like the protection from errant baseballs.

Day Three would kick off at one of the locations of a favorite for breakfast, “First Watch.” Possibly the Wake Forest location before showing him the charming Wake Forest downtown, the Loading Dock co-working space, and a favorite bookstore, Page 158 Bookstore. At some point we would have to stop at the Wake Forest Coffee Company for some Joe, then do a quick tour around Southeastern Seminary before a walking and gawking tour of the historic homes past the north side of the campus. These homes sit back along Main Street with its 25 MPH wake zone that the local constables occasionally watch like ravished hawks. At some point we would find ourselves getting in the car and driving back downtown to get a second cup of coffee from the Black & White Coffee Shop merely for comparison purposes. I have a favorite of the two but would not want to unduly influence a good friend. Lunch would be near the Page 158 bookstore at a very popular place called “Over the Falls.” After lunch, as we wedge our fat and overly caffenated bodies into my vehicle, I would switch things up and take my friend to Chapel Hill to see the storied Dean Smith Center at UNC, as well as the downtown area. We could chat about some of the good firms in the town. Szostak, and Notch are two that are personally known by me. If we didn’t look to disheveled, and if I was smart enough to make advance reservations, we could eat our evening meal at Crossroads in the Carolina Inn. Friends were married at this wonderful oasis of civility and I recommend it.

The final couple of days would take place out of the Triangle area with a low-slung, breaking-the-law-fast trip to the coast. If we had reached the point of wanting some silence, I would suggest my friend take my vehicle and follow me as I open up the throttle on one of my bikes. Good friendship can withstand silence and the middle-age-crazy antics of people who like danger. I think I would head for the Outer Banks and Corolla, or if that area was booked up, maybe farther down the coast to North Topsail. The coast is littered with places to inhabit. Food choices are ubiquitous. The real deal is not the food or the hotel or Airbnb, it is the power of the morning sunrise coming over the water, the birds flying over head, the sand, the waves, the smell of salt, the sounds of nature on full display… all inducements to wonder and praise. Awe is such a rare commodity if we don’t spend the time to notice it. After my buddy was completely blissed out from a few days of bleached out beach life, I would take him back to Raleigh and finally, possibly thankfully on both sides of the equation, drop him off at the Fentress designed Terminal 2 for a flight home. And then I would go home and collapse.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Recognition is hard to pin on one lapel. Without sounding too Oscar Award-like, I have to give a tip of the hat first to my father who suggested architecture to me, and who acted as my biggest cheerleader through my formative years and college.

I also have to recognize that the countless authors I came across over the years have helped me to reach the point of practicing -albeit late in the game. Speaking of which, my wife has always encouraged me; school, arch jobs at a younger age, transition to corporate world and many sideline businesses, and now back full circle to architecture -she has always been there with a smile and a “go for it” attitude.

I am also very appreciative of my friend, Jason, who didn’t laugh when I said I was thinking about going back to architecture and giving the services away as a sort of offering. He was very encouraging and introduced me to my first client. Some friends are closer than brothers.

Finally, salvation came late in life. But how remiss would I be if I didn’t give a shoutout to the Almighty because I was worried about what others may think, or even laugh about? Our work is always a poor imitation of His, but how cool is it that he allows us to create in the first place? So the biggest shoutout is to my God and Savior Jesus. He is my everything.

Website: https://www.dakotaarchitecture.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dakotaarchitecture/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dakota-architecture-pllc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=dakota%20architecture%20pllc

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dakota-architecture-raleigh

Image Credits
Catherine Davis Photography -B & W Headshot Photo