St. Louis architecture firm expands into Tampa

The Lawrence Group has opened an office in an iconic downtown building.

By Louis Llovio
| 8:05 a.m. February 19, 2025
| 2 Free Articles Remaining!

Lawrence Group Managing Principal of Florida Operations Ray Wong (standing) with the Tampa design team.

Tampa Bay-Lakeland

The Lawrence Group, a 42-year-old St. Louis architecture firm, has opened an in office in Tampa, its second in Florida.

The firm has leased a 2,230-square-foot space in Rivergate Tower, the building known locally as the beer can building.

A spokesperson for Lawrence says five employees are based in the city.

The firm, founded in 1983, has been working with clients in Florida for more than 15 years and opened a Cape Canaveral office in 2022.

Among its projects in the state, Lawrence is currently designing a 120-bed hospital and medical office building for Health First on Merritt Island that’s set to open in 2027. The $410 million hospital will replace Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach.

The Tampa office will be active in higher education, student housing and senior living design as well as healthcare.

In addition to St. Louis and Cape Canaveral, the firm has offices in New York City, opened in 1996, and Austin, Texas, opened in 2019.

Rivergate Tower is at 400 Ashley Blvd. right at the entrance to downtown and across the Hillsborough River from the University of Tampa. The 515,965-square-foot tower earned its nickname because of its cylindrical shape which gives it the appearance of, well, a beer can.

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Louis Llovio

Louis Llovio is the deputy managing editor at the Business Observer. Before going to work at the Observer, the longtime business writer worked at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Maryland Daily Record and for the Baltimore Sun Media Group. He lives in Tampa.