John Yonushewski grew up with a hammer in his hand, but he always knew he wanted to do more than just build—he wanted to create. He merged the two and became a pioneer of what he called architect-led projects, eventually growing his understanding of every facet of project creation—from architecture and construction to development—in his adopted home of Colorado to help reshape downtown Denver with housing types of all varieties.
Yonushewski, now 66 and senior principal at Stantec in Denver, grew up on the East Coast with a contractor for a father. He attended Clemson University to learn architecture, and that set him on a path that merged his know-how and passion for both architecture and construction. Over the course of his career, he has been honored with a Fellowship in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and multiple design, leadership and construction awards from the Downtown Denver Partnership, Historic Denver, Denver Mayor’s Award, AIA Colorado, ULI Colorado and Colorado Construction. He served as president of AIA Colorado from 2004-2005 and on the AIA board of directors from 1995-1998.