History Of The Firm

We are pleased to be celebrating our 56th year of serving the Upstate New York area with a wide variety of Architectural Services. While our firm was founded many years ago, the ideals and principles established by John F. “Jack” Teitsch remains strong to this very day. The culture that Jack began, and Brian and Dan strive to continue is based around a sense of family, both with our client and colleagues, a persistence to continue to develop our skills and serve our clients, and a determination to approach each situation with kindness, humor, and good faith.


John F. Teitsch (1966-1976) established the firm in 1966 after having worked at Sargent Webster Crenshaw & Folley in both Schenectady and Syracuse, having collaborated for a time with Mr. Jack Morton and Mr. John Mowry. The decision to go out on his own was a brave one, considering he and his wife Anne had a large family to support. Jack’s work was divided primarily between the Religious Market and the Residential Market. Major works during this time include: St. James in Cazenovia, Nimmonsburg United Methodist Church, Skylake Conference Center, Wolfe Residence, Schramm Residence, and Cazenovia Animal Hospital.

Robert L. Kent (1976-1996) joined Jack in 1976 to form Teitsch-Kent Architects. The partnership of Jack and Bob proved to be a fruitful one, with both working on their own project, yet collaborating successfully together. Bob’s primary interest was in Educational Design, primarily K-12 Schools, and he moved the firm into that market. Major works during this time include: new school buildings for Belleville-Henderson Central School, Gilbertsville-Mount Upton Central School, as well as major additions for Sharon Springs Central School, and Cato-Meridian Central School.

Daniel Wilson Fay (1996- Present) joined the firm as a draftsman in 1986, however he did not become a partner until 1996. Dan was fortunate to have the mentorship of both Jack and Bob as he learned his trade. This mentorship, coupled with an interest in both Religious Design and Educational Design allowed Dan the opportunity to continue and to expand the work started by both of his predecessors. Major works during this time include: New Church Buildings for Our Lady of Sorrows in Vestal, and Divine Mercy in Central Square, along with significant additions and reconstructions for St.Thomas Aquinas in Binghamton, and Christ Church in Manlius.

Brian A. Manning (2018- Present) started with the firm in 2003 as a Project Manager, and became a Partner in 2018. Brian brought a passion for detail, and an interest in a variety of markets, including: Municipal, and Industrial, he also share’s the other partners interest including Religious and Educational design. This has allowed Brian to continue to build on the existing markets while expanding the firm into exciting new areas. Major works during this time include: significant additions to Marquardt Switches in Cazenovia, Jephson Campus Building A Reconstruction for Cazenovia College, continued and various projects for the Village of Hamilton, and long-term associations with Anaren Inc., A TTM Technologies company.

As we look to the future, Brian and Dan are both grateful for the strong foundation the firm has been built on by Jack and Bob. We are excited to continue to learn and grow as we extend and develop our services and our client base. New work for the coming year includes elements of all our previous markets as well as exciting new opportunities.

One element of our workload for 2022 and an example of “everything old is new again” is the quickly expanding Residential Market. Teitsch-Kent-Fay Architects, P.C. has always provided services for residential clients, however, the last few years has seen the market develop into a much larger part of our work. We love the chance to work with these varied and interesting clients, and the challenges their individual projects bring. Fifty-six years is a long time, but we truly believe it is only the beginning.