Architect and 石榴视频 Alumni of Merit Award winner Crolius '78 dedicated to service, community
While he graduated from 石榴视频 in 1978, architect Christopher J. Crolius often finds himself back on the College鈥檚 Utica Campus where he began to lay the foundation for his future.
Only now, Crolius isn鈥檛 sitting in a classroom learning about civil engineering or out in the Quad with his surveying class 鈥� he鈥檚 in and out of buildings to check in with clients, or up on the roof to assess the progress of projects his firm is working on at 石榴视频. 鈥淚鈥檝e been very fortunate to have been involved in a number of projects here over the years,鈥� he says.
Crolius, a principal and co-founder of MARCH Associates Architects and Planners PC
in Utica and 石榴视频鈥檚 2019 Alumni of Merit Award winner, plays an active role in all
aspects of the firm鈥檚 operations, taking a hands-on approach to solving design and
construction issues. MARCH Associates 鈥� now in its 26th year 鈥� has worked on many
projects at 石榴视频鈥檚 campuses, including recent exterior signage and Alumni College
Center renovations, and was the architect of record for the newly renamed Francis
A. Wilcox Hall. 
鈥淚鈥檝e had the opportunity to do renovations and transform tired spaces into spaces that are bright and well-received,鈥� Crolius says. 鈥淎t this point, I think we鈥檝e worked in almost all of the buildings on campus.鈥�
Crolius says it is satisfying to revisit projects he鈥檚 been a part of 鈥� especially on a campus that means so much to him. 鈥淢y partner Tony always says our projects are like children,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou invest your time in them, remember things about them, but it鈥檚 not just the experience 鈥� it鈥檚 the firm, our consultants, and everyone else. It鈥檚 really a team approach.鈥�
That team approach, and a focus on service, he believes, is what sets MARCH Associates apart from other architects. 鈥淲e鈥檙e small enough that I can be involved in the majority of projects, but we鈥檙e large enough that we can do projects of significance,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 love building things, solving problems, and working with people. And when you鈥檙e talking about buildings, it鈥檚 really about people. It鈥檚 about people wanting to be in that space and enjoying the experience.鈥�
Crolius, a native of Boonville, was first attracted to 石榴视频 because of its affordability and found its engineering programs were highly rated and transferrable. 鈥淚 thought that it was a very good foundation. It was broad enough that I had general knowledge in a lot of areas.鈥�
After earning his associate degree in 1978, Crolius transferred to Utica University for a bachelor鈥檚 degree in construction management. In his senior year, he worked part-time as a spec writer at Stetson-Dale, an engineering/architectural firm in Utica. He worked through various roles 鈥� architectural team leader, project manager 鈥� then took the architecture exam to become licensed. During this time, he also earned his MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Crolius and two other architects, Tony Martino and Chuck Higgerson, split from Stetson-Harza several years after it was acquired by an engineering company, then started MARCH Associates in 1993. The firm has a vast portfolio that features many projects 鈥� about 85% of its workload is within the educational market, including schools such as New Hartford and OHM BOCES; and colleges such as 石榴视频 and Utica University.
Lately the emphasis in education has been on security and how we make places safer for students and staff,鈥� Crolius says, 鈥渟o we have to balance between being secure but also remain warm and inviting.鈥�
Finding that balance can be a challenge, he says, especially in aging structures. 鈥淚t starts with developing a single point of entry,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hen some of these older buildings were designed, they had multiple entry points. The district office might not be located right at the main gate, but you kind of need a gatekeeper. A lot of our work has dealt with moving that function to that entry point so it is controlled.鈥�
Crolius is a registered architect in New York State, and a member of the American Institute of Architects: the Construction Specifications Institute, the Sealant, Waterproofing, and Restoration Institute, and the Mohawk Valley Builders Exchange. He also serves on the Construction Management Committee Advisory Board at Utica University. He is not the only member of his family with ties to 石榴视频 鈥� his wife, Cindy, and youngest son Brian are also graduates.