Meet the architect who combines creativity with deep local ties to sketch St. Paul's future

Architect James Garrett Jr. was born on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, but he's as St. Paul as they come.

He's a grandson of James Griffin, a St. Paul police officer for 42 years and the first Black officer to be named sergeant, captain and deputy chief. Garrett graduated from St. Paul Central High School, where he starred in baseball and played football for hall of fame coach Floyd Smaller.

Garrett founded the architecture firm 4RM+ULA in 2002 with high school football teammate Erick Goodlow and Nathan Johnson, who played football at St. Paul Academy. Their award-winning firm has designed Green Line light rail stations and is working on a new Mississippi River Learning Center.

Eye On St. Paul recently sat down for lunch with the 50-year-old Garrett to talk about his St. Paul ties and what drew him to architecture. This interview was edited for length.

Q: Given the prominence of your grandfather, were you ever interested in a law enforcement career?

A: No. I'm a creator, an artist. I've wanted to be an architect since I was five and playing with Lincoln Logs. I've followed the philosophy of, figure out what you love and focus on that. I love baseball and architecture.

Q: You ordered lunch in pretty flawless Spanish. How did you learn it?

A: I'm not really sure. But when I started to speak it, I was little, I could say words in Spanish. I just learned it growing up. My mom's best friend was from Panama. She would cook and give me instructions in Spanish. All my life, I had friends who speak Spanish.

Q: So, you learned conversational Spanish just by ear, no formal instruction?

A: Yeah.

Q: Have you since had any instruction?

A: In college, I took a semester. It was like a one-credit course. I could take it while playing baseball. I did learn how to write and read [in Spanish]. My wife is from the Dominican Republic, we were married in the Dominican. Our sons' first language is Spanish.

Q: Is your family from St. Paul?

A: My mom was born and raised in St. Paul. I grew up on the East Side, near the old Phalen Shopping Center. [Garrett's brother is former Johnson High School football star Chris Garrett.]

Q: How did you end up at Central?

A: My brother is in the Johnson Hall of Fame. I didn't want to live in his shadow. I played sports at Prosperity and Hayden Heights. [Baseball, football, soccer and hockey.] I wrestled and played basketball in junior high, and I played football, basketball and baseball at Central.

But sports were really secondary. I went to Central for the academics.

Q: After you were hurt playing college baseball [at the University of California, Berkeley, and Arizona State University], what did you do?

A: I went back to Berkeley and really immersed myself in architecture.

[After graduating, Garrett returned to St. Paul when his father became ill. Following his father's death, Garrett went to Parsons School of Design in New York City. His second day of class was Sept. 11, 2001.]

Q: School kept going without pause after 9/11?

A: Yeah. It was pretty intense. They weren't going to be stopped by terrorism. We were right there in Manhattan. It was months before the smoldering stopped.

Q: Where did you start your architecture career?

A: At Wold [Architects and Engineers].

Q: When did you start 4RM+ULA?

A: July 2, 2002.

Q: Tell me some of your projects.

A: The first project we were known for is the Green Line light rail. We designed all the stations on the Green Line. We won our first national award designing Target Field station. A project I see as my baby? Springboard for the Arts.

Q: What kind of design do you focus on?

A: We used to say we focus on anything that pays [laughs]. We literally got flattened by the 2008 financial crisis. It was a difficult lesson and we ended up having to lay off all the staff. We had to start rebuilding from scratch. We knew we had to do more to be viable.

We still do a lot with Metro Transit. We also do work with nonprofits.

Q: And now you are the local firm working on the River Learning Center project.

A: Yes, we are.

Q: You're partnering with a New York firm?

A: W Architecture. We are the boots on the ground. Sort of the engagement specialists. A lot of community engagement.

Q: What is your strength as a firm?

A: It's difficult to answer because I feel like we do just about everything well. Erick is the numbers guy. Nate is the even-keeled strategist. A pragmatist. I'm more creative. Where Nate reaches for the keypad first, I sketch. The three partners fill the gaps for each other. We have very different skill sets.

Q: We talked a little about how your partners are also your friends. But isn't there a warning against going into business with your friends?

A: I don't know about that. I'm very much about going into business with your friends and with your family. Maybe it's "don't go into business with people who haven't played high school football." [laughs]