KRISTIN BAUM

Kristin Baum has always been fascinated by the idea that things and places have a history. While antiquing with her mother, she’d contemplate how a prior owner used an item she found. That ability to see the world through another perspective has proven valuable in her career as an architect.

Once, while designing a building in Suffolk, Baum recalls, she was paid “the best compliment” by a client. “She said, ‘It’s like you put my brain on paper!’”

On paper, Baum’s path to architecture has been “pretty linear.” Her interest was sparked during childhood trips to historic renovation sites around Virginia with her aunt and interior designer uncle. After graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in architecture, she landed her first job at GuernseyTingle, where she’s been ever since.

A career highlight, Baum says, has been mentoring the next generation of women, both at the firm and through the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce, where she’s been actively involved since 2011. She also loves finding excuses to return to Blacksburg to cheer on the Hokies or for recruiting events.

And some career achievements have brought her full circle. She won an award of excellence from the Hampton Roads Association for Commercial Real Estate for the renovation of the DoG Street Pub in Williamsburg. But she also loves designing new buildings for a similar reason.

“You’re creating a blank slate for somebody to make those memories,” Baum says.

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