By Brian Luders
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Local architect Becky Pope has announced her plan to retire at the end of June from Lindsay Pope Brayfeld and Associates. She was an early employee of the company, starting in 1981.
Luders
During her time with the firm, she has specialized in designing elementary schools, and has worked on some phase of design and construction of virtually every school in the county. The late Jim Steele, former chief operating officer of the Gwinnett schools, thought Becky Pope was “…..the best architect in the state,” says the firm’s senior partner, Buck Lindsay.
Becky Pope was born in Durham, N.C., and went to North Carolina State. Her first job was with a contractor in North Carolina (“on the other side”), then moved to Lawrenceville in 1980.
She knocked on Winford Lindsay Associates’ door in 1981 to market her sign business. The call ended with her “…being offered a job by Buck Lindsay,” with her early work as a draftsman. Except for a five year period when she was raising a family, she’s been with the firm since.
Named a principal of the firm in the late 90s, she was a pioneer as a female designer and project manager back when the architecture and construction industry was more dominated by men. She earned the respect and admiration of both men and women in the field. Much of her early design work was on hotels until 1988, with her since leading the k-12 design studio element of the firm.
Pope
Becky Pope has overseen design and construction of almost 500 buildings, mostly elementary schools, often in Gwinnett County, but her work spanned school systems throughout metro Atlanta and many counties in North Georgia.
During the period when Gwinnett schools were the fastest growing in the country, getting students out of portable classrooms and into buildings was critical. One major consideration, taxpayers demanded, was that their dollars be spent as efficiently and effectively as possible. Using prototypes and with a firm hand on the process, Becky worked with the school systems to deliver schools on time, under budget, and with buildings the community could be proud to support. Her prototype process became a standard for the industry with Gwinnett County leading the way .
One source of pride for Becky was her pro bono work in converting an insurance agency building in Lawrenceville into a permanent home for the Hope Clinic. It is a Christian, nonprofit clinic that provides medical care to patients who are uninsured, underinsured, or indigent. She continues to support the clinic and serves on their board of directors.
With the calm and genteel personality of a Southern belle, she has been a force to be reckoned with when a contractor runs astray and assumes her gender could be used to their advantage. Known simply as “The Pope” around the office, her experience, guidance, and mentoring has been a treasured gift for all whose lives she has touched.
She lives in Dacula and has her son and daughter nearby in Dacula and Suwanee. She has five grandchildren. Her husband died in 2013.
Senior partner Buck Lindsay says: “She has been a major part of our business, and put in a long career. We will miss her. She deserves a relaxing time in retirement.”
Becky is looking to the North Georgia mountains for her next adventure in life. There may be one more building for her to design and build.
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