Whether it is the Taj Ma-Stall by Emperor Shah Jahan or Flushingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright, Steve Schaecher—Senior Project Architect and one of the newest Principals of the firm—is quite knowledgeable about architecture and is happy to share this knowledge through humor.

 

 

What makes you tick?
I am an architect, so obviously I have a creative side and love using it in all aspects of my life. I like to create things that get a little rise out of people or make them laugh. I enjoy seeing the reactions of people to things I think are funny. However, its always a tightrope—one of my kids always tells me that I am not supposed to laugh at my own jokes. But humor is a big part of my life, and I believe laughter is the medicine to cure all.

Other than architecture, what outlets do you utilize for your creativity?
I have always enjoyed drawing. In high school, I was the cartoonist for the school paper—it was the first time I had something in print. I invented a strip called “Dr. Cartoon” and made up humorous diseases around our school every week. Though I didn’t do much with cartooning in college, after graduating, the local AIA Indianapolis Chapter started a newsletter. I was talking with a friend of mine who was the editor; one thing led to another, and I ended up drawing the cartoons for the newsletter.

About six months later, National AIA started the AIArchitect, a monthly national newspaper for architects. I contacted them, and the next thing you know, I had a national audience for my cartoons. That is where I created my first outhouse—Frank Lloyd Wright’s, Flushingwater.  After that, I thought, “I could make a calendar out of this.” So, I put together 12 different samples and researched calendar publishers. I lucked out, the first publisher I approached liked the concept, but suggested it expand to a permanent book instead of a temporary calendar.

The first book—”Outhouses by Famous Architects”—was well received. Within a year, I suggested a sequel—”Mobile Homes by Famous Architects”—and eventually I rounded out the trilogy with “Phone Booths by Famous Architects”. Eventually the books were also converted into calendars.

Another interesting tidbit, a publishing company in China picked up the books and published them in Chinese! I don’t think the translation picks up the humor very well, though.

What do you do in your free time?
I genuinely enjoy hanging out with my kids. We attend a lot of soccer games.

As an architect, it seems like I always have some kind of home improvement project going. I designed my own home, but there is always something to re-do.

What’s one thing not everyone knows about you?
I went to a Catholic School and the nuns were somewhat strict. One day, I had the hiccups and went to get a drink from the water fountain. I looked up to see Sister Calista (the meanest of the sisters) walking down the hall; then I bent down to get another drink. I got in trouble for taking more than one drink! She busted me and scared the right hiccups out of me!

 

Tell me about your family.
I have been married to Susie, a true Speedway girl, for 23 years. Together, we have three kids—Nathan, a sophomore at Purdue studying industrial engineering; Lindsey, a junior at Avon hoping to become a teacher; and Nick, a 6^th grader heavily involved in travel soccer.

 

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