Jim Samsel’s soft-spoken, modest, and convivial manner, punctuated by a wry sense of humor, are balanced by his passion and dedication to his profession. An architect for more than 40 years, he has built a regional reputation for downtown adaptive projects in Asheville and sustainably designed mountain homes in the surrounding area. In addition, his work is heralded for responsible stewardship and civic responsibility. And he’s a dedicated yoga student at Iyengar Yoga Asheville.
Early Influences
Jim was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in the suburbs of Maryland. Raised by an entrepreneurial father and a full-time mom, he credits his mother’s two sisters for broadening his cultural horizons, including his interest in the visual arts and architecture. Jim recounts that, “Both aunts were professional women without children, who took an interest in me. One aunt regularly took me to museums and concerts, and introduced me to architecture. The other was a traveler; she’s responsible for my attraction to the Southwest and my interest in finding an alternative reality to the suburbs.”
When it was time to apply to colleges, that interest drew him to the University of Arizona, where he received his Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1972. Jim enjoyed the curriculum and also fell in love with the landscape — the cliff dwellings, the desert colors and expansiveness, the responsibility and creative possibilities of working with natural resources. “From an architectural point of view, when you build in that part of the country, you need to be tuned in to where and how the sun interacts with the property, and how to build with water conservation in mind. The particulars of place, environment, and community are applicable to most of the design work I’ve done over many years.”
During his time in Tucson, Jim was exposed to yoga for the first time – in a public park with a kundalini instructor.
Drawn to Community
After graduating college during a recession, Jim moved back to D.C. for the summer. A newly minted vegetarian, he found work as a sous-chef at a natural foods restaurant. “This was during the Vietnam War, and we regularly provided leftovers to the anti-war protestors.” In the fall, Jim returned to Tucson and found work in construction. Then he channeled the spirit of his aunt and traveled for several months in Mexico. As that period drew to a close, Jim signed up to be a Vista volunteer architect with the Design Coop in Little Rock, Arkansas. “We worked with low-income folks helping to build houses and playgrounds. We were trained in community organizing, too. This was a time when community design centers were being built to address civil rights issues, so we were inspired to develop housing in a more thoughtful and equitable manner.”
A friend of his during this period had moved to Asheville, and Jim was curious about the small city. So in 1976, he moved to Asheville, which was then an uncut jewel with a nearly empty downtown, filled with fabulous 1920s buildings in various states of neglect. Jim worked for the City in the planning department for two years, prior to becoming fully licensed to practice architecture.
Launching His Career
In order to become a registered architect, Jim needed additional years of apprenticeship, which he accomplished by working for small firms. From 1978 to 1985, he worked with three architecture firms on adaptive reuse and historic preservation projects, as well as affordable housing and passive solar projects – all during the start of Asheville’s renaissance. In 1985, Jim founded Samsel Architects (SAPA), which has since enjoyed three-plus decades of success and thrives today. The firm grew to a staff of 15, completing hundreds of residential and commercial projects in Asheville and throughout the Southern Appalachian region. The firm has been recognized for award-winning design, including approximately 20 historic preservation awards. In addition, SAPA provided pro-bono services to several non-profit organizations and it earned “Firm of the Year Award” in 2016 by the North Carolina American Institute of Architects.
Jim summed up his perspective this way: “I have a pretty eclectic attitude about design and didn’t want to be pigeon-holed. With each project I asked myself if it had soul and substance. We turned away from commodity projects. I believe there’s a timeless component to our designs. And place matters: Especially with residential work, we design for the setting. I want to have the home look like it belongs in that place.”
Downtown Revitalization
With characteristic modesty, Jim describes his role in the revitalization of downtown Asheville. In the mid-1980s, he began partnering with Roger and Pat McGuire on design and development, including creating the first downtown condominiums with street-level retail in a historic renovation project on Haywood Street. Later, he began a 25-year collaboration with John Cram, serving as an advocate and architect for many iconic downtown rehabilitation projects during the 1980s and 1990s.
In 1989, Jim and his future wife, Kim McGuire, moved to Boston for a year, during which time Jim pursued business and design through a Masters degree program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.). When Jim returned to Asheville, his design and civic work continued – as a board member with RiverLink, the Asheville Downtown Commission, and later with Pack Square Conservancy, which produced the 6.5-acre urban park at the center of downtown.
“I have for many years tried to express my sincere interest in the health of Asheville, both its commercial and residential development. We’ve come a long way, and even with the dramatic increase in development in this area, I believe architecture can keep setting a tone that is distinctly Asheville.”
