About Us

OUR HISTORY

JNKA is a full-service architecture and liturgical design firm of 9 professionals dedicated to serving religious institutions who are committed to helping people to live, learn and grow in their faith and personal lives. We have completed over 700 projects in 13 states in the development of facility assessments, long-range master plans, feasibility studies, and full-service designs for new buildings, additions, renovations, adaptive re-use conversions, historic restorations, liturgical designs, and handicap accessibility projects of all sizes.

Originally founded in 1963 as a firm that designed a broad range of commercial and residential buildings, our focus changed direction when our founder, Thomas Jaeger, completed his national award-winning design of the St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, which led to a gradual specialization in religious architecture. Robert Nickola joined the firm in 1976 and Jaeger Nickola & Associates (JNA) was established in 1984. In 2005, David Kuhlman joined JNA and was named a Principal of the firm, offering a broad range of experience in religious, educational, residential and senior living projects.

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church – 1963 Rendering

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church – 2006 Photo with Addition

In 2012, David Kuhlman succeeded Robert Nickola as President, and in 2013 Jaeger Nickola Kuhlman & Associates (JNKA) was established as the firm celebrated its 50th Anniversary. Kimberly Kuhlman joined JNKA in 2016 as Vice President after working for multiple architecture firms and serving as a Lieutenant in the Civil Engineer Corps of the U.S. Navy, where she managed construction projects and served as the Officer in Charge of the White Oak Naval Surface Warfare Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, and managed the base’s closure as part of the U.S. Navy’s BRAC program. And in 2021, Susan Maish was promoted to Principal in recognition of her strong leadership role, client relationships and dedication to the success of each project.

JNKA has received numerous design awards over the years but we believe our greatest strength is the collaborative design process we use to guide our clients in defining the wishes, needs, and goals for their facilities, and to create thoughtful and innovative designs that reflect each community’s unique identity and achieve their goals on time and within budget. Our passion for sacred architecture and serving faith-based communities fuels our efforts and commitment to developing strong working relationships and providing our clients with steadfast guidance, utmost professionalism and tireless dedication through each step of the design and construction process.

OUR VALUES

MISSION

To serve faith-based institutions in providing architectural and liturgical design services that define and realize the unique vision, needs, and goals of each client through a thoughtful and collaborative design process that enriches their lives and achieves noble beauty while practicing good stewardship of our clients’ resources.

VISION

To be a national leader in serving faith-based institutions as architects and liturgical designers, creating thoughtful, beautiful and sustainable designs that respect and enrich the environment of each community we serve.

COMMITMENT

JNKA is committed to developing strong working relationships and providing steadfast guidance to our clients through each step of the design process, from the initial assessment, visioning and master planning phase, through the subsequent design and implementation phases until the completion of construction, with utmost professionalism and dedication, striving for beauty and excellence in all that we do.