Kostow Greenwood Architects Managing Principal Jane Greenwood announced June 1 that following twenty successful years of co-ownership and leadership with Founding Principal Michael Kostow, she will devote time to pursue new career interests and take some personal time for travel. Her last day of active involvement at Kostow Greenwood Architects will be June 30.
“I’m very proud of the team that we’ve built, the work accomplished and my partnership with Mickey and now it is time for me to expand and re-direct my energies,” explains Greenwood. “It has been a great run. Professionally I’ve achieved my goal of leading and owning a nationally recognized and award-winning firm doing work for amazing clients and also nurturing a firm culture that is inclusive and diverse. The foundation is resilient and strong and ripe for continued success and growth.”
Founding Principal Michael Kostow, reflecting on his partnership with Greenwood, says “A better business partner than Jane does not exist. We complement each other, bring different approaches to the work and find common ground, which always elevates what the firm produces. What I’m most proud of is that we’ve built a team of talented architects and designers who are also leaders and ready to step up to new challenges.”
Architect Michael Kostow’s thirty-five year career in the profession began on May 1, 1987 when he co-founded Kapell and Kostow Architects. Jane Greenwood joined Kapell and Kostow in 1993 and became a Partner in 1998. In 2002, Michael and Jane co-founded Kostow Greenwood Architects. Kostow will continue as Founding Principal actively working closely with the previously announced leadership team of Lena Dau-Ping Fan and Gary Li.
Reflecting on her next projects, Greenwood reminds us all that, “Once an architect, always an architect.” As an architect, mentor and advocate, Jane is recognized as a leader in preservation/adaptive re-use and workplace design for broadcast media centers. As the Managing Principal of Kostow Greenwood Architects, Greenwood led a team of architects and designers in concept design through construction for developers, corporations and institutions.
Greenwood’s awards include recognition from Crain’s New York as a “Notable Women in Construction, Design & Architecture”; BUILD magazine; HOUZZ as one of “7 Game-Changing LGBT Architects and Design Pros You Should Know”; the Women Builder’s Council; OUT magazine’s annual OUT 100, a celebration of “the most influential LGBTQ people of the year”; and from the New York Business Journal as a “Woman of Influence”.
As a mentor, Greenwood is actively involved with high school, college and post-graduate students, simultaneously sparking interest in teens and guiding emerging professionals.
As an advocate, Greenwood continues to speak on behalf of equality in the workplace, not only for women but also for minorities and the LGBTQ+ community. Having co-founded OLGAD (Organization of Lesbian + Gay Architects and Designers) in the 1990s, Greenwood is recognized as a pioneer in the struggle for visibility in the architecture profession for under-represented individuals and their contributions, most notably leading to the formation of the New York City LGBT Historic Sites Project.
Greenwood is a graduate of Pratt Institute, a member of the American Institute of Architects and a LEED Accredited Professional. She contributes preservation knowledge as a Board member to non-profits including Tarrytown Music Hall and Old Dutch Church (1685), the oldest standing church in New York State. She is Chair of the Village of Tarrytown Architectural Review Board, a position she’s held for eight years.