# Darden Architects, Inc.

> Darden Architects is a Fresno-based architecture, planning and interiors practice founded in 1959. Its durable niche is complex public-serving work across California - especially K-12 schools, colleges, healthcare facilities and civic projects - where design must survive budgets, codes, heat, long approval cycles and decades of daily use.

- **Founded:** 1959
- **Headquarters:** Fresno, United States
- **Founders:** Edwin S. Darden Sr. (Co-founder), Jim Nargis (Co-founder)
- **Products:** Architectural design and planning, Interior and graphic design, Construction specifications and cost estimating, Construction administration, Education facility planning
- **Notable:** Reached its fifth generation of management in 2025, with Antonio Avila succeeding Robert Petithomme as managing principal., Won five honors at the 2016 AIA San Joaquin Chapter Design Awards across education, craftsmanship and long-lived design categories., The Edison High School Academic Building earned CASH/AIACC awards in 2013 and 2015 and an AIA San Joaquin Award of Excellence in 2016.

## Products & services

- **Architectural design and planning** — Programming, master planning, schematic design, building information modeling and construction documents for educational, healthcare and civic projects.
- **Interior and graphic design** — In-house interior environments, material selection, wayfinding and environmental graphics coordinated with architectural teams.
- **Construction specifications and cost estimating** — In-house specification writing and estimates intended to keep regulated projects durable, energy-conscious and aligned with budgets.
- **Construction administration** — Site observation, submittal and shop-drawing review, change-order and information-request processing, certification and closeout support.
- **Education facility planning** — Educational specifications, programming, state-agency coordination and community-college capital outlay proposals.
- **Healthcare planning** — Code-compliant planning for laboratories, treatment spaces, skilled nursing and other regulated medical environments.

## Achievements

- Reached its fifth generation of management in 2025, with Antonio Avila succeeding Robert Petithomme as managing principal.
- Won five honors at the 2016 AIA San Joaquin Chapter Design Awards across education, craftsmanship and long-lived design categories.
- The Edison High School Academic Building earned CASH/AIACC awards in 2013 and 2015 and an AIA San Joaquin Award of Excellence in 2016.
- The Roger S. Good Cancer Treatment Center addition and renovation received a 2018 AIA San Joaquin Award of Honor.
- Trellis Chino Skilled Nursing Facility received the City of Chino Planning Commission's 2018 Best New Commercial Development recognition.
- Juan Felipe Herrera Elementary School received a 2022 AIA San Joaquin Award of Merit for educational design.
- Voted the Central Valley's best architectural firm for an eighth consecutive year and best interior design firm for a fifth consecutive year in the 2021 Business Journal Best of Business awards.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Opened applications for the 2026 Darden Architects Architecture Scholarship, due April 30, 2026.
- **2025-07** — Hosted free one-day architecture summer sessions for Central Valley high-school students; three sessions filled due to demand.
- **2025-01** — Antonio Avila became managing principal as Robert Petithomme moved to principal emeritus, marking the firm's fifth management generation.
- **2025-01** — Continued its $1,000 annual scholarship for San Joaquin Valley students pursuing accredited architecture degrees.

## Links

- Website: https://dardenarchitects.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dardenarchitects
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/dardenarchitect
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dardenarchitect/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dardenarchitects/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/darden-architects-inc
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Last updated: 2026-09-24