dan@wkarch.com

Dan founded Daniel Wheeler Architects in 1987 after winning the design competition for Camp Madron. In 1990, he established, with Lawrence Kearns, the practice of Wheeler Kearns Architects. In 1996 the firm was selected by a national jury of its peers as the recipient of the prestigious AIA Firm Award from the Chicago Chapter of the AIA, the youngest and smallest firm awarded to date. In 1998 Dan was nominated and elected into The College of Fellows of The American Institute of Architects, in recognition of notable contributions to the advancement of the architecture profession. In addition to being a practicing architect, Dan is a Professor of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he has been called upon to serve as Interim Director.

Dan received his Bachelor of Architecture in 1981 from the Rhode Island School of Design, where he studied abroad in Rome for two years. While attending the RISD European Honors Program, he was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Traveling Fellowship. He worked at the offices of Machado-Silvetti Architects in Boston throughout his school years and contributed to many projects, including the award winning "Steps of Providence" project in 1980.

In 1981, Dan arrived in Chicago and began to work for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as a project architect. Dan was promoted to Associate and Studio Head in 1985. That year Dan also received the AIA Young Architect Award for design excellence from the Chicago Chapter. Wanting to complement his SOM experience, Dan began work in 1982 on independent commissions, eventually leading to his involvement with the Camp Madron Competition and the subsequent establishment of a formal office. As a WKA Project Architect, he has been responsible for such projects as Camp Madron, the Chicago Children's Museum, the North Avenue Beach House, Marwen, Green Homes for Chicago, and Orchard East, among other numerous residences.

The work of Wheeler Kearns is regularly exhibited and published, and is included in the permanent collections of the Chicago History Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. The work of the firm has been recognized with numerous AIA and Driehaus Awards.

Dan was elected as a Trustee of the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts in 1999, where he currently serves on the advisory board. He is past Chairman of the Architecture Alliance at the Chicago History Museum, where he also served as a Trustee. He has assisted in founding and directing the Marwen Foundation's Architecture Program, designed to expose under-served inner city high school students to design. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Architecture & Design Society of the Art Institute of Chicago and is on the advisory board of The Chicago Architecture Club. Dan is a visiting critic at Auburn University’s Rural Studio, a “regular” since 2002. He regularly lectures and serves on national professional and academic juries.

Dan is a registered architect in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Dakota.

Dan Wheeler