About

Black Mountain Architecture consists of a creative and attentive team of designers led by Principal Architect and Saranac Lake local, Jesse Schwartzberg. We pride ourselves on our high caliber design, attention to detail, and passion for creating beautiful and functional spaces. With our expertise in building science, LEED and Passive House we will guide your residential, commercial or community project to meet your energy efficiency and sustainability goals. Our staff is driven towards excellence and eager to make sure your experience of designing your project is enjoyable, inspiring and successful.

Black Mountain Architecture’s years of experience working in the Adirondack region has resulted in a deep understanding of local and state code and zoning requirements, trusting relationships with town officials, consultants, engineers, and skilled general contractors. Our firm will provide you with exceptional service navigating the design, permitting and planning phase of your project. We work with you from start of construction through completion as your guide helping you to balance and achieve your budget, schedule, design intent, quality, and performance goals.

Staff

**Jesse Schwartzberg** | Principal
M. Arch., U. of Oregon; B.S., U.C. Berkeley;
LEED AP
Jesse Schwartzberg returned to his hometown of Saranac Lake, NY to found Black Mountain Architecture, PLLC in 2011. While earning his Master of Architecture degree at the University of Oregon Jesse acquired a comprehensive understanding of contemporary green building techniques and honed his understanding of modern building science principles.
A native of the Adirondacks who worked as a finish carpenter for six years before attending architecture school, Jesse is uniquely suited to work within the existing Adirondack architectural vernacular. By combining his local experience with the knowledge he acquired outside the Park, Jesse takes a fresh approach to architecture in the Adirondacks. Jesse is deeply passionate about the future of the Adirondacks. He is particularly interested in net zero energy, local materials, and sustainable design.

**Kimberly Schwartzberg** | Office Manager & Communications Director
*BS, Summit University*
Kim manages the office so the designers can design. She fell in love with an architect (Jesse) before architecture, and now she’s attached to both. She brings her office expertise from several years of experience at the education nonprofit *College for Every Student* and *Essex Farm*, a diverse CSA, to Black Mountain.
Kim loves to be outside in the woods and waters of the north country with her friends and family. She is the mother of three and passionate about encouraging others adventuring through motherhood, because it really does take a village.

**Kristen Starheim** | Project Lead
*M. Arch, Northeastern University*
Kristen joined the BMA team in September 2021. She holds a bachelor and masters degree in Architecture from Northeastern University. As a student, she consistently wove a passion for ecology into studio projects and was awarded honors for her thesis exploring the relationship between humans and nature. After graduating, she spent three years at Ann Beha Architects, where she worked on several academic buildings and museums.
Exploring diverse American landscapes is central to Kristen’s lifestyle. She revels in immersive adventures on foot and by bike—having completed the Appalachian Trail and Transamerica Bike Trail in recent years. She looks forward to connecting with the unique culture of the Adirondacks and contributing to the place-based design that drew her to BMA.

**Katie Culp** | Project Lead
*M. Arch, University of Oregon, LEED AP*
Katie holds a Masters of Architecture from the University of Oregon and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Pacific Northwest College of Art. She works toward creating beautiful, meaningful spaces for people; spaces that can improve our physical and mental health as well as our relationships with those we share our spaces with.
Katie is a native of Oregon and works out of her home office in Vancouver, WA (or Black Mountain West, as she likes to call it). When not working, she can be found in her studio playing with yarn, paint, or clay, on the ball field with her three adorable kids and awesome husband, or tending her garden where there always seem to be weeds to pull.

**Oliver Holmes** | Architectural Designer
*BS, Keene State College*
Oliver was born in Saranac Lake, and he has lived here his whole life. He took full advantage of the surrounding area as a kid, hiking and canoeing all over the Adirondacks. The surrounding mountains inspired his interest in skiing, and it eventually led him to compete around the northeast, as well as in Colorado.
While studying architecture at Keene State, he spent a summer abroad studying architecture in Paris and Prague, and he did some traveling of his own through Europe after the semester ended. Growing up in the Adirondacks instilled in him an appreciation for the natural world, and he is particularly interested in environmental consciousness as it relates to architecture.