PERSPECTIVES
Milestones are a great time to look back, but for our South End-based firm we are celebrating our 20th anniversary this month, and we are all about looking ahead. To mark two decades of shaping Boston’s communities, founders Eric Robinson and Kevin Deabler have announced the firm’s very first leadership expansion, promoting longtime employees Ben Wan and Jessica Haley to partners.
RODE was built on the organic mission statement “Build like we live there,” growing from within was our natural next step.
From a Closet Office to a 35-Person Studio
RODE's origin story reads like a classic partnership. Founders Robinson and Deabler first met in their freshman design studio at North Carolina State University in the 1990s. Years later, after both found themselves living on the same street in Dorchester, they decided to start a firm that would uplift their own neighborhood.
What began in 2006 as small-scale bathroom and staircase renovations for neighbors has blossomed into a dozen-deep portfolio of majorurban projects. Today, the firm has grown to a team of 35 people.
The two new partners have been there almost since the beginning:
- Ben Wan (Partner): Joined in 2009 as RODE's very first employee, working out of a tiny "closet of an office" right after graduating from Northeastern University during the 2008 recession.
- Jessica Haley (Partner): Joined in 2013, bringing interior design fully in-house and helping transform RODE into a full-service architecture and design firm.
Both were named principals in 2023 and credited RODE’s hands-on, micromanagement-free culture for giving them the space to challenge themselves and take ownership of major projects.
RODE was selected to assist sculptor Pablo Eduardo complete a tribute to Jack Connors in the plaza at 200 Clarendon, formerly named the Hancock Tower. This was an iconic space being suggested to honor an icon of philanthropy and commerce. Jack’s legacy is widely known, but in reality, he had a simple, humble message to share about living a life for others. Rooted in his faith and beliefs- he willed us to think of simple ways to help, to give, and to extend a hand. He wants us to be aware of those all around us- or even in one’s circle of friends and family. RODE helped Pablo develop the concept so it could be understood by the Mayor, the Boston Arts Commission and the Planning Department. The space where Jack sits on the bench is a publicly accessible, private space - owned and managed by Boston Properties (BxP). RODE provided graphic materials, 3D modeling, renderings, construction drawings and on-site coordination of all the pieces.
The plaza is the very space Jack used to engage with friends and colleagues for decades- he was a fixture there and this would be the perfect place to extend his presence. The fact that Jack is facing the corner passageway, with Trinity Chapel beyond, is both literal and figurative. The 4 benches are standard around Boston College’s campus; his alma mater that he spent a lifetime supporting. Having a warm material in the stone plaza would be a first. We studied patterns on Trinity and the geometry of the plaza and tower to conceive of the bench positions and material detailing.
A topping-off ceremony was held Monday, May 18, 2026, for the Fieldhouse+ project.
This event marks a monumental milestone in a years-long process, as the final structural beam was placed on the building, which is a joint venture between the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester and the Martin Richard Foundation.
Bill Richard, father of Martin Richard, spoke at the ceremony, noting that the facility is a "living legacy" for his son. He emphasized that Martin’s gift for "bringing people together and dreaming big" remains the driving force behind the project.
US Congressman Stephen Lynch mentioned: "What has been left unsaid today borders on the spiritual. When you talk about the Richard family and how they turned a painful moment in their lives into this—all of that pain into something that would bless others—to do that is sublime. It’s not expected of human beings, so when it occurs we want to celebrate it."
Mayor Michelle Wu said in her speech: "This isn't just a win for Dorchester; it is a national model for how we build inclusive infrastructure. Boston will be the proof that the nation we fought for is possible—a place where we take care of each other and take on the challenges that matter the most."
Our team was excited to hear these remarks after years of effort in taking an idea and helping form it into a real, impactful project. Many of us live in Dorchester and witnessed the trauma of 2013 as well as the torrent of love and support for the Richard Family and all the victims. We’re honored to play a role - to take that emotion and build a space it can live in for future generations.
Construction of E. Dedham Street is well underway in Boston’s South End. The 44-unit residential building on E. Dedham Street represents an ambitious exploration of what it means to “build from within". While the historic early-1900s shell will be preserved and revitalized with masonry restoration and new energy-efficient windows, the building’s interior is undergoing a full demolition and complete reconstruction.
Over the last century, the five-story structure has housed a variety of owners and uses, beginning with its original purpose as a stable and blacksmith shop. RODE’s intervention, in collaboration with New Boston Ventures and Holland Construction, reimagines the previously abandoned building as 44 new residential units, including five affordable artist studios and 39 market-rate condominiums, along with a small ground-floor retail space anticipated to activate the corner of E. Dedham & Albany Street.
We’re keeping the "lightning strikes" going! We are incredibly proud to announce that two more of our talented designers, Eric Figueredo and Cody Sanborn, have officially passed their Passive House (CPHC/CPHT) certification exams.
Adding Eric and Cody to our growing roster of certified professionals further strengthens RODE’s ability to deliver high-performance, climate-resilient architecture. As Boston and the industry at large move toward stricter energy standards, Eric and Cody’s expertise ensures that our designs remain at the forefront of sustainability without compromising the creative, community-focused spirit RODE is known for.
