Weese Langley Weese is a full-service architectural practice with a broad local client base. Organized to work intensely with the client to jointly discover the opportunities inherent in each project, Weese Langley Weese prides itself on a high level of service and attention to each project.
WLW is a small highly effective open architectural studio in the River North area involved in higher education and affordable housing on a wide range of projects including numerous historic structures and new affordable housing construction.
Dennis Langley AIA received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana in 1970. After serving in the military, he worked for five years at two firms in the Chicago area, including a large AE firm. He joined Weese Langley Weese in 1978 and became a principal in 1992.
Current represented projects include North Avenue Phase III; affordable family housing that involved adding an additional floor into and existing loft; Grove Apartments, Affordable 1 bedroom apartments that included a historic 2 story addition to an Albert Kahn building; Southwick Apartments, a new construction fully accessible 40 unit building in Matteson, Illinois; Cicero George Apartments, a new construction, 6 story, 70 unit Senior Housing in Chicago, and Aurora St Charles Senior Hosing, an adaptive reuse and historic tax credit restoration of a former 1932 hospital into 64 senior units.
Numerous of his projects have received various awards from organizations such as the Chicago Chapter of the AIA, The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Richard Driehaus Community Development Design Awards.
Dan Towler Weese AIA has been with Weese Langley Weese since 1992. He received a Bachelor’s Degree from Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, and a Master’s Degree from the School of Architecture at Yale University.
Major projects at Weese Langley Weese include: Chicago City Day School, Chicago, Illinois; South Loop Apartments, Chicago, Illinois; School of the Art Institute, Chicago, Illinois; Hanmee Presbyterian Church, Itasca, Illinois; Winnetka Congregational Church, Winnetka, Illinois; Ida Noyes Hall, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Harris Hall Renovation and Expansion, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. Dan is active in the Chicago Architecture Club and was the chair of the AIA Chicago Design Committee for 2002.
Richard Klein AIA has been with Weese Langley Weese since 1986 and became an associate in 1996. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1986. As a part of the coop program at the University of Cincinnati he completed internships with architecture firms of various sizes in Indianapolis; Baltimore; Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania; and Charleston, South Carolina.
Representative projects at Weese Langley Weese include many large scale affordable housing renovation projects, church renovation projects, museum renovation and planning projects, and numerous higher education projects.
Katherine Heinz received both a Bachelor’s degree in Art History and a Master’s degree in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis . Prior to her studies in architecture, she worked for the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and Phyllis Kind Gallery.
Katherine has been with Weese Langley Weese since 2004. Representative projects include Casa Kirk and Coppin House for Interfaith Housing, fully accessible housing in Matteson, IL and Waukegan, IL for Over the Rainbow Association, Branch of Hope affordable senior housing and Phase III of the North Avenue Redevelopment.
Nicol Zeller AIA, LEED AP, joined Weese Langley Weese in 2014. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master’s of Education from the University of Illinois, Chicago.
After a short career as a teacher, Nicol worked for architectural firms in San Diego, CA and Chicago, IL. Since joining Weese Langley Weese, she has contributed to various project types including new construction and historic renovation affordable housing as well as higher education projects.
2022
Outstanding Design – Exhibition Spaces/Galleries
2020
Preservation Award for Rehabilitation
2019
Sensitive Addition/Alteration and Proper Rehabilitation/Restoration
Sensitive Addition/Alteration
Proper Rehabilitation/Restoration
2018
Honorable Mention
2017
Honorable Mention for Special Needs Housing
Historic Art Deco Award
Award for Rehabilitation Landmarks Illinois
2016
Affordable Housing Award
2015
AIA Illinois
The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award For Architectural Excellence in Community Design, Second Place
Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission (2014)
As Awarded to Bickerdike Development Corporation
2012
Preservation and Design Award, Honorable Mention for Environmental Design
Preservation and Design Award, Honorable Mention for Environmental Design
Readers’ Choice Award, Preservation Category
As Awarded to Mercy Housing Lakefront
2011
Award for Historic Preservation
2007
The Chicago Community Trust Outstanding Community Strategy of the Year as awarded to Claretian Associates, Inc. for Southeast Chicago Community Building Initiative
Special Recognition Award as awarded to St. Leonard’s Ministries
2003
The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award For Architectural Excellence in Community Design- Third Place
2002
Distinguished Building Award
Affordable Housing Design Award
2001
Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, Outstanding Private Leadership
Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois
City Design Center, College of Architecture and the Arts, University of Illinois at Chicago
Maxwell Awards of Excellence Program
The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award For Architectural Excellence in Community Design – Second Place