Reception planned for retiring architect Wes Darnell

A retirement reception and ceremony will be held next Friday for WDM Architects’ co-founder Wes Darnell, whose retirement was announced in June.

The reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on July 31 at Intrust Bank Arena, one of Darnell’s notable projects in his 35 years at the firm.

July 31 also will be Darnell’s last day at the firm, ending his 45-year career in architecture.

A 1970 graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor's degree in architecture, Darnell, 69, went to work for another Wichita firm, Law Kingdon, primarily managing the design and construction of retail shopping centers.

In 1980 the Hutchinson native and co-founder Dan Wilson opened Wilson Darnell Associates. And in 1992 they merged with H. Stewart Mann’s landscape and planning firm to form Wilson Darnell Mann. The firm’s name was later changed to WDM Architects.

Darnell’s other notable projects include the Ambassador Hotel, Eaton Place and Wichita East High School renovations in 2002 and 2010.

This story was originally published July 24, 2015 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Reception planned for retiring architect Wes Darnell."