Since 1953, Keast & Hood has undertaken structural challenges large and small, from investigation of historic timber trusses to design of new high-rise buildings. We have preserved historic landmarks and shaped modern architecture. We have been privileged to team with innovative architects, talented consultants, and forward-thinking owners and institutions on a richly rewarding portfolio of work.

We trace our legacy to the practice of William H. Gravell & Associates in Philadelphia. When Gravell passed away in 1952, his associate Raymond Hood, Jr., continued the firm. He enlisted Sheldon Keast, recently retired Chief Inspector for the Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections as his partner. Daniel DiBona, Nicholas Gianopulos, Thomas Leidigh, and Carl Baumert, Jr., were part of the Gravell staff that transitioned to the new firm in the role of junior partners. By the mid-1960s, Gianopulos, Leidigh, and Baumert were at the helm and led the firm until that late 1990s when the current leadership assumed control.

Keast & Hood worked with pioneering architects Robert Venturi and Louis Kahn, and many collaborative projects with those and other mid-century designers earned recognition in architectural history books, including Venturi’s Mother’s House and Kahn’s Exeter Academy Library. The Richards Medical Research Labs, designed by Kahn for the University of Pennsylvania, established a 50-plus year working relationship for Keast & Hood at that institution. Our early work with the National Park Service formed the basis for modern preservation techniques in historic structures. A tradition of notable projects and structural finesse transcends our history and continues today.

Our founders were creative, pragmatic, collaborative, and kind. They shaped a legacy of inspiring work – from new construction to historic preservation. More importantly, they shaped a longstanding tradition of how we work – open offices, clear communication, patience, and trust. We carry this history and these values into every project meeting and onto every jobsite.

Since 1953, Keast & Hood has undertaken structural challenges large and small, from investigation of historic timber trusses to design of new high-rise buildings. We have preserved historic landmarks and shaped modern architecture. We have been privileged to team with innovative architects, talented consultants, and forward-thinking owners and institutions on a richly rewarding portfolio of work.

We trace our legacy to the practice of William H. Gravell & Associates in Philadelphia. When Gravell passed away in 1952, his associate Raymond Hood, Jr., continued the firm. He enlisted Sheldon Keast, recently retired Chief Inspector for the Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections as his partner. Daniel DiBona, Nicholas Gianopulos, Thomas Leidigh, and Carl Baumert, Jr., were part of the Gravell staff that transitioned to the new firm in the role of junior partners. By the mid-1960s, Gianopulos, Leidigh, and Baumert were at the helm and led the firm until that late 1990s when the current leadership assumed control.

Keast & Hood worked with pioneering architects Robert Venturi and Louis Kahn, and many collaborative projects with those and other mid-century designers earned recognition in architectural history books, including Venturi’s Mother’s House and Kahn’s Exeter Academy Library. The Richards Medical Research Labs, designed by Kahn for the University of Pennsylvania, established a 50-plus year working relationship for Keast & Hood at that institution. Our early work with the National Park Service formed the basis for modern preservation techniques in historic structures. A tradition of notable projects and structural finesse transcends our history and continues today.

Our founders were creative, pragmatic, collaborative, and kind. They shaped a legacy of inspiring work – from new construction to historic preservation. More importantly, they shaped a longstanding tradition of how we work – open offices, clear communication, patience, and trust. We carry this history and these values into every project meeting and onto every jobsite.