That's the Way He Became an Architect

It’s not often that someone in the business world can say he was inspired by Mike Brady of the iconic “Brady Bunch.” But Jason Nicholas proudly admits that fact.

For those who may not remember the show, Mike Brady was an architect. He had a drafting table in his office at home, and often did work in between imparting sage words of advice to the six Brady kids.

So far Nicholas has just one child, not six, but he does have a drafting table, along with several computers, in his home office, where he head up j2n Architecture.

The 1989 graduate received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Miami before working with two different architects. Then, in 2003, he branched out on his own.

“I think every architect’s dream is to own his or her own business,” Nicholas said. “I was no different in that respect.”

Sticking to his roots, Nicholas set up shop in an office on Bowling Green Parkway. However, the economy got in the way, and he gave up the office in favor of his Cozy Lake home about three years ago.

“I liked having the office, and hope to be able to do that again at some point,” he said. “With the economy being what it was, and cash flow being an issue, it was the right move at the time to give up the office.”

Now, with his back yard being a view of Cozy Lake, Nicholas works on projects for residential and commercial clients. While he said he enjoys residences more, the economy has forced him to take on commercial projects. It’s a move he doesn’t regret.

Among his most regular clients is Alice’s Restaurant on Lake Hopatcong. His firm has done a number of projects for the restaurant, including putting a loft office up above the restaurant, so that employees can look down on diners as they work.

“It’s been fun doing all the work for Alice’s,” Nicholas said. “It’s like my baby, and they’re always changing something, so it’s a regular source of work,” he said.

Nicholas’ work includes both hand drawing (on the Mike Brady drafting table) and Auto CAD on the computer.

“I think both are important, and both have different purposes,” he said. “When I design, I like to draw freehand, because I think there’s more of a connection to the brain that way. But AutoCAD is great for putting blueprints together.”

Being a very people- and community-oriented person, Nicholas is currently a member of the Jefferson Rotary Club, and would like to get more involved with the club, as it is a “way of giving back to the community.”

He is a member of the Jefferson Community Players, and just recently helped start “Uncorked,” an improv group made up of some of the Community Players. Uncorked will be showing its stuff during intermissions at the gazebo concerts in Jefferson this summer.

He is also part of an improv troupe that performs at Pax Amicus Theater in Budd Lake.

However, the most important members of Nicholas’ spare time are his wife Dina and son Noah, 5.

“Being a dad is the best thing that’s happened to me,” he said.