Rowhouse Architects Announces Robin Raines as President
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (October 20, 2026) - Rowhouse Architects has announced that Robin Raines will serve as President of the Asheville-based architecture firm, marking a new chapter for the practice founded by Jeff Dalton in 1994.
Raines joined Rowhouse Architects in 2002 and has held an increasingly significant leadership role within the firm over more than two decades. Her work has included historic rehabilitation, adaptive reuse and affordable housing, reflecting a longstanding interest in projects that strengthen communities and bring new life to existing places. Over the years, her role has expanded from project work to helping guide the firm, while remaining closely involved in the collaborative design process that has long defined Rowhouse Architects.
As President, Raines will lead Rowhouse Architects while remaining closely involved in the firm’s project work. Her transition to the role formalizes a progression that has developed over more than two decades and builds on the way Raines, founder Jeff Dalton and partner Shawn McKeever already work together to guide the firm.
“Stepping into the role of President feels less like a change in how we work and more like a natural progression of what we have been building together for years,” Raines said. “I want to carry forward the collaborative culture that has always been important at Rowhouse Architects, while continuing to do meaningful work for the communities we serve.”
Dalton founded Rowhouse Architects in 1994 with collaboration intentionally built into the firm's structure. That approach continues today, with Jeff, Robin and Shawn each bringing different experience and responsibilities to the work.
Over more than three decades, Rowhouse Architects has contributed to projects throughout Western North Carolina and beyond, with work that includes historic rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, housing and hospitality.
Dalton points to the breadth of Raines’ work as an example of the role she has already played in shaping the firm, from historic rehabilitation and infill development to affordable housing.
“Robin is a brilliant architect, a great person to be around and a natural leader,” Dalton said. “Over the past two and a half decades at our company, she’s produced some amazing projects, from the restoration of the Radical Hotel to modern infill townhouses on Broadway Street, affordable multifamily apartments for Givens Communities and duplexes for Habitat for Humanity. She’s been at the center of it all.
I am proud of everything we’ve achieved at Rowhouse Architects over the past 32 years, and I am even more excited about where we are headed with Robin as President,” Dalton said. “I look forward to continuing my involvement with the firm and supporting Robin as she leads Rowhouse Architects to new heights.”
Shawn McKeever, Partner and Director of Construction and Quality Control, has worked alongside Raines for the past decade. He credits the collaborative culture established by Dalton and Raines, along with the firm's longstanding client relationships, as important reasons he joined Rowhouse Architects.
“It's been amazing to see the care and attentiveness Robin takes with her designs, further strengthening these relationships. In the 10 years I've worked here, Robin's leadership and vision have further developed the Rowhouse culture. I've been lucky to have been able to learn from her along the way and look forward to the direction she sees for Rowhouse Architects,” McKeever said.
As Rowhouse Architects moves forward, Raines wants the firm to remain small, local and closely connected to its work while continuing to grow its focus on historic rehabilitation and affordable housing. For Raines, both offer opportunities to create lasting value for the communities the firm serves.
About Rowhouse Architects
Founded in 1994 and located in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, Rowhouse Architects creates significant places of lasting value. The firm’s work includes historic preservation and adaptive reuse, market-rate and affordable housing, new construction, hospitality and commercial design. For more than 30 years, Rowhouse Architects has crafted places that transform the landscape throughout Western North Carolina and beyond.
Learn more at Rowhouse-Architects.com.
Media Contact:
Nanette Asbury
Nanette Asbury Creative, LLC.
828-367-9731
