In Memoriam.
“John had just passed his ten year mark and was a founding member of the BKV Group DC office. A great deal of our success has been as a result of his talented skills and his caring nature.
John……I will miss you and will see you in every project you helped create. ”
Respectfully remembered,
-Jack Owen Boarman
“It is so difficult to process, an event like this, where we lose a dear friend, colleague, partner and peer. I am so sad for his family. I am so sad for our work family. Although John had been here for 10 years, it seemed like we were just beginning our journey. I had the privilege to fly to DC and meet John to interview and have lunch with John before we decided to hire him. We discussed what a unique, rich and rewarding place it was to be a BKV’er, but we quickly moved to talking about our families, kids and other interests. It was an easy decision. John and I are essentially the same age, we have kids that also are the same age, and we shared in our lives outside of work such as our love of baseball, travel, and of course our passion for Architecture. I actually didn’t speak to John nearly as much as I would have liked, but when we did, it was like talking to a brother, and we would immediately catch up on these topics, never missing a beat. John, you will be dearly missed. Thank you for your camaraderie and kindness, and sharing your talents with all of us.”
-Mike Krych
“John hired me at BKV and over the last 6 years I have gotten to know the slice of John that was possible to know at work. Although this last year I have only rarely interacted with him because of the pandemic, he always embodied the best spirit of working in the BKV office. He is a leader, colleague, mentor, and friend. And I am not alone in this sentiment. His charm and giving nature made him a daily force of social cohesion and optimism in the office. I worked on multiple projects with John, and came to know him through those projects and during travel between site and office.
Regardless of the project though, I got to know him best as part of the “night crew” (people still in the office 7PM and later). John appears to have been a founding member and it was during those evenings that John both loosened up and worked harder than anyone. In between running for pizza for everyone, reminiscing his favorite drummers (you have to ask Brad), reliving scenes from his favorite 1980s shows, and searching for his next podcast, John worked. He seemed to thrive late night, checking off all the tasks that he could not get to during the day. He loved to solve problems and took on each challenge like a puzzle that needed serious thought and attention. Although it was often difficult, John did seem to revel in a mess. Whether of his own creation or someone else’s, John had a knack for getting deep in the dirt of the problem, mucking around in it, only to emerge once he had a solution that was to his liking. John’s talent and creativity, often found gems, but he was just as comfortable with coal. Coal, that would eventually crystallize, under later pressure, to a diamond, and a solution easily recognizable to anyone looking.
This was part of John’s gift. He could see the glimmer in the dirt. He confidently knew it was there. Working with John is often as challenging as it is inspirational. I often found myself frustrated with John’s willful ignorance at deficiencies. The man wore a suit of positivity and carried a shield of optimism. For all the chinks in that armor, he flat out refused to admit to seeing them. To his credit, this self fashioned armor made him invaluable as a colleague and an example to emulate. I am certain that I can speak for many when I say that John was not only a colleague, but a friend that I wished to know better.
We mourn for his loss, and will miss him dearly.”
-Dana
Nielsen
To the Maisto Family and those who knew and cared for John:
“I recall fondly working with John in the early years of the DC office as it was getting up and running… working through office furniture builds, IT and the roll-out of Revit and staff training with him. He was a great leader & mentor in many ways. I mourn for him personally, but my heart is also heavy for all of you in DC knowing what a special colleague you have all lost. I am grateful to have had the opportunities to witness firsthand the great person with a great attitude he was that made it a pleasure to work with John.”
-Jeremiah Smith
“I’m not sure it’s my place to reach out to you all, but I felt a strong connection to your son, your father, your brother, your friend. I am simply not prepared to let that go. I only knew John for a couple of years but in that time, I felt like we shared a great friendship; almost immediately, and I dare say really profound. As it turns out I do not think I am alone. John was that kind of guy. Quick to make deep heartfelt friendships. A heart big enough and open enough to let so very many in and in deep. And in that time, I and my life partner Kay developed a sweet spot for John Sr. and Maria as well as John’s current life partner Kate. And so, Kay and I want to reach out and share our deepest concerns, caring and hopes for healing.
Such a blow; to the whole body and soul. I know you understand when I say that I can’t find the words to express the sorrow. And so perhaps I won’t even try. I can offer you no solace, no words of wisdom, more wise quotes to get you through or make it all right. It simply is not all right. My guess is it has something to do with that which is inside ourselves, but I don’t really know what that is or how it supposed to work. No good explanation will ever come of this.
But what I do know is what a tremendous amount of support there always was and that there continues to be for Johnny; not just from the office but from other architects, designers, engineers we know here in DC, from the University of Maryland Architecture community, from the biking community, from the musical community, from his neighbors on the block. So many people are reaching out to me with so many good stories and positive thoughts for John that I just wanted you all to know that love for John is out there. And in that love, there must be healing. At least I hope there is.
Please know that in our memories of John, John continues to live on. And given how many people I’ve talked with who cared for him, really deeply cared for him, because he cared so thoughtfully for them, he will live on strong in all of us. If not the body we know and loved, then at least in his soul and his spirit.”
Peace, love and friendship to the family and friends,
-Paul Andresino and
Kay Mena
To the Maisto Family-
“Words can not express the sadness that the sudden loss of John has brought to BKV. John was not only well liked, he was well loved. When I think about John, I think about a guy who was more genuine than anyone. He was so approachable, friendly, had a great attitude and people were drawn to him. I often marveled at how he handled the stress of deadlines, project and client demands always with a bounce in his step and the ability to always focus on the positive in any situation. He was a great storyteller and I always loved hearing him talk about his travels, his family, and his passion for music and bike riding. John did not hold any one at arm’s length, he let everyone in, and it is what I appreciated most about him. As I remember John, I can still hear his voice and his laugh and that makes me smile. I will forever remember him as someone that lived life to the fullest, truly a life well lived. Rest in Peace my friend.”
-Kelly Naylor
To the Maisto family,
“John was an incredible colleague, friend, and mentor that will be greatly missed. I had the pleasure of working with him for the past seven and a half years. We worked so well as a team, I could often predict what he was going to say in many situations. I enjoyed being able to talk to him about anything. He believed in me and I could count on him in difficult scenarios. In my eyes, John’s great gift was his ability to immediately connect with people. At my first lunch with John we were getting to know each other and our work histories and he told me “I’m a communicator, that’s what I do”. In meetings and conversations, he would interject humorous insight and quick analogies that to me were out of the blue, but to him were on the tip of his sharp mind and relevant. Movie quotes, musical influences, and pop culture references were abundant in any discussion. With so many interests he had something in common with anyone he talked to. When we were all down at the waterfront for the WWII flyover he knew and could talk about the significance of every type of plane!
Food was another passion of John’s. He and I would trade newfound eateries around town, and I would give him tips on places somewhat out of walking distance when I began venturing on my bike over the lunch hour that he would eventually stop at after site visits. He and I had a slice of pie from Baked and Wired on at least one “Pi Day” that occurs on 3/14, and he was a big fan of that day and reminded us about it every year. He liked to order the crispy rice from Moby Dick that is not on the menu but is a sort of delicacy that they scrape from the bottom of the pan, and of course he knew how to request it by its proper name. When we had site visits at The Aspen we always stopped at Taylor Gourmet for their sandwiches and would catch up on non-work related topics. My favorite memory though is when John and I would split the humongous Stachowski’s pastrami sandwich. Usually it occurred on a Friday when I would ride up there with a backpack to pick up “the football” and we would eat together in the conference room.
John’s optimism set the tone for our office and that spirit will be carried on and not forgotten. I am very grateful for everything that I learned from him and his solid friendship.“
-Brad Sullivan
“I’m stunned. This is such terrible news. John was a such kind, gentle, caring soul and all around great guy. I became close to John during our time together at BKV, as we bonded through our shared experiences. John was always so positive. He never seemed to let things change that outlook, regardless of the circumstance. In addition to architecture, we also shared a love for playing music. John was a guitarist/bass player and I play the drums and dabble in guitar. We discussed the similarities between the creative process in music and architecture on more than one occasion. Needless to say, John will be deeply missed. My condolences to his family and friends, including those he touched within the BKV Group family.”
-Mark Harris
“It is very strange. It’s been only two weeks since John has left us, but it feels like it’s been too long living in a world without him. I still can’t really process the fact that John is no longer with us. He was never just a colleague. He was a friend, a mentor, a part of our lives. Any minute now my phone will ring and it will be John calling.
John was so positive and resilient. No matter how stressed he was or how bad the situation was, he could always pull himself up so quickly. And he would always lift the spirits of everyone else with his unique charm. At times people thought he belittled the seriousness of situations. But we will soon enough realize that just because of his positivity we were able to overcome so many difficulties we wouldn’t have been able to without him. On some level, I always saw myself growing to be more like him. Or I should say, I always wished I could be more like him—being a cheerful team player, working hard and trying to love work and life every minute I can.
When I think about John in my head, he always has his signature smile, chuckling, telling some of his funny stories with 80s references I never heard of. We share a love for good food. I can still see his excited face when I talk about a recent restaurant outing. He was such a happy person I can’t describe how sad I am that he was taken away. None of this is fair and it does not make sense. Someone will take John’s role at BKV eventually. We will still do good work here and keep the projects moving. But the office will never be the same. I hope, I really hope John knows how much he was loved. Because he will be forever ever remembered by us”
-Anni Pi
“Words can not express my shock and sadness over this news. I have known John ever since he joined us. He has always been a great collaborator and communicator, always listening to what others had to say and providing very thoughtful, respectful input. I enjoyed getting to know John over the years and his contributions to the firm as well as me personally. It is an understatement to say he will be missed, who he was, his care and consideration were a gift.”
-Bruce Schwartzman
“Our hearts are broken for our friend John & his family. I worked with John on many DC project over the last 7 years. John was so humble, so gentle, so respectful & so knowledgeable. Rest in peace, my friend John. You will never be forgotten.”
-Chad Kurdi
Letter to the family of John Maisto.
“From the first moment I met John when I joined BKV back in July of 2015, I saw a guy that was kind to others, concerned about his fellow co-workers as well as his clients, wanted to put a quality product “out on the street”, and made the office a fun place to work in. I was hired to be the Construction Administrator in the office, so I had the pleasure of working with John on several projects. On my first day of the job John said, “Come on, we are going to a job site”. We hopped in his old blue car and headed to The Vintage. I was not too familiar with the District besides the main drags, but John took us on the tight side streets through Georgetown. Right, left, right….. and that’s how we went to get to 16th street. On the way, between asking me more about myself, he says “Oh, you went to University of Illinois, my son Adam goes to Madison”, telling me where the traffic can get backed up and starting to tell me a little about the project that we were heading to.
This was the first day of many where we would talk about projects, our families, and past experiences. John seemed to know every architect and engineer in town as well as most of the firms. I would sometimes think that he also worked on the AIA Membership Board or something. We both shared a love of movies, songs and sports. For sports, John all things DC: Caps, Nats & Redskins (in that order), me: Cubs, Hawks and a little Bears. Maybe his first love was the Redskins, not sure, but since I was more into baseball and hockey, that was what we talked about most. I was fortunate to go to a Nats game with the office back in 2016 along with John’s dad and Susanna as well I believe. That was a fun evening. 2016 was a great year because my Cubbies won the World Series after 107 years! John was very happy for me as well during that time in October and we had many game recaps the following days. That would be revisited in 2018 when the Caps had their Stanley Cup Championship and the Nats in 2019 for their World Series win!
All total, we worked on The Vantage, Octave 1320, Mai Place, The Aspen, Sunrise Bethesda and Chevy Chase, The âme, Beckerts Park, Art Space and currently, Piazza Terminal. Wow, 10 projects in under 6 years. We were certainly busy. There were many a night that some of us would turn into “The Late Night Crew.” Working into the evening to try and get caught up on things or get something finished that was promised to a co-worker or client. Between 7 and 8, a shout over our noisy HVAC system came from the corner, John’s desk, “How late are you staying? Anyone up to split a pizza?” I did not share John’s love of cooking, but I did enjoy his dishes that he would bring into the office for a pot-luck. Usually this was something Filipino and always very delicious.
There are many more fond memories that I could share, but I would like to finish with this. John coined a term “found time”. This was when a scheduled event, usually a meeting, would be canceled or moved and a chunk of time on the calendar for that day would ‘open up’. That would always bring a joy to his face and a hearty tune to his voice. Some more ‘found time’ we would hear him pronounce from the corner.
Well, I will miss the “Found Time” moments and unfortunately, I now have a new term of “Lost Time”. The time that I and others, will not be able to spend with John any more on this earth. No more fun talks, late night meals, catching up on personal or family events, Mr. John the “Balloon man” that my kids would call him after the first BKV summer picnic we had together, (We had to order a “do it yourself” animal balloon kit after that event so my kids could continue to make the animals and items that he taught them), lunch with Adam and John at Thunder Burger when he would stop by the office and many others. Susanna and Adam, he was proud of you both. He would tell us about your track events Susanna and scoot out of the office early to catch a meet on occasion. He offered for me to let him know if my kids, during their college search, had any questions on W&M that he could pass onto you. A joyful, honest, caring person whose time here on earth with us was cut too short. We did not discuss our faith too much though and I’m now sorry about that. He knew that I was a believer and I believe that he was as well. So I look forward to seeing him again sometime in the future.”
With my deepest heartfelt symphony to the family,
-Jim Hansing
To the Maisto family:
“I only knew John for a year and a half, but like so many others I immediately enjoyed his company. Since his passing, I keep coming back in my mind to the last personal conversation we had. John randomly called me up one afternoon, because he was showing someone around the office, and it turned out she and I shared a common educational background, and he was excited about that. The background is nothing remarkable, just a little detail in my life, and certainly no expectation for John to have given it much thought. But of course, he gave it thought, because that’s who he was. He took genuine interest in the people in his life, and I’ll always remember that call. It was the essence of John.
He was a wonderful colleague, and an even better person, and I’m so very sorry for your loss.”
-Benjamin Yonce
Gentry and Jack - words can not express the amount of shock and profound sorrow I felt when I learned of John’s death, earlier this month. I was in Minot, ND, visiting my elderly mother who is in memory care when I received the news.
John and I were recently together, walking the site on a cold dark February evening to investigate the lighting along the north perimeter that was bothersome to a handful of neighbors. The fact that John would take time out to do this is not surprising, nor was his good-natured attitude about doing so, and working quickly to address it. He was such an easily likable guy and a truly talented architect.
My fondest memories of spending time with him will always be how well we played off of each other - sharing corny jokes and quippy commentary about topics of the day - always getting the work done but having a really fun time along the way. He was one of a kind.
I am so sorry for the loss of your dear friend, and mine. We are all better people to have known him.
With heartfelt sympathy,
- Stacy Mickelson VP / Government Relations ARTSPACE
Project Legacy.
For the past 29 years, John has been involved in all aspects of architectural practice, including design and construction of small scale residential projects, mixed-use housing, adaptive reuse housing, multifamily residential complexes, independent elderly housing, assisted living/limited care facilities, tenant fitouts, and master planning.
John’s primary focus has been in the DC metro area, with ample project experience in Washington DC’s entitlement process, ranging from by-right work with the Office of Planning, LTR, BZA, and PUD application and execution.
PROJECTS Sunrise Senior Living Bethesda, Bethesda, MD; Sunrise Senior Living Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, MD; Churchill Senior Housing, Gaithersburg, MD; Fort Washington Senior Housing, Fort Washington, MD; Sugarland Hill Senior Housing, Dranesville, VA; Churchill Senior Housing, Gaithersburg, MD; Potomac Woods Senior Housing Phases 1 & 2, Woodbridge, VA; Jefferson Heights Senior Housing, Charlottesville, VA; Mai Place (1400 14th Street NW), Washington, DC; Artspace Silver Spring Arts Campus, Silver Spring, MD; Brewers Hill, Baltimore, MD; âme (Meridian Hill Hall), Washington, DC; Beckert’s Park, Washington, DC; North Bethesda East Gateway Village, North Bethesda, MD; North Bethesda Market Lofts, North Bethesda, MD; NRP Scranton Peninsula, Cleveland, OH; NRP Ashburn, Ashburn, VA; Piazza Terminal, Philadelphia, PA; The Aspen, Washington, DC; The Octave, Silver Spring, MD; The Shay, Washington, DC; The Vintage, Washington, DC; 141 West Street Condos, Annapolis, MD; 8001 Newell Street Design Concept, Silver Spring, MD; 8th and O Streets NW, Washington, DC ; The GEM at Knoxville, Knoxville, TN; Georgia Heights, Athens, GA ; Hive Hotel (Allen Lee Hotel), Washington, DC; Royal Courts Apartments, Washington, DC; Savannah Heights Apartments, Washington, DC; Three Tree Flats, Washington, DC; Woodson Heights Condominiums, Washington, DC; Fairlawn Marshall Scattered Sites, Washington, DC; Eastern Village Cohousing, Silver Spring, MA; Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington, DC; City Center South Apartments (drawings only), Falls Church, VA; Sudley Manor House Assisted Living, Manassas, VA; Morningside House in Satyr Hill Assisted Living, Parkville, MD; Morningside House in St. Charles Assisted Living, St. Charles, MD; Morningside House in Harmans Assisted Living, Harmans, MD; Takoma Park Preservation Scattered Sites, Takoma Park, MD; Gilbert Highlands Apartments, Takoma Park, MD; The Colonies of Arlington, Arlington, VA; Antoinette Gardens Apartments, Capital Heights, MD; Capital Manor Cooperative, Washington, DC; Savannah Heights Apartments, Washington, DC; Galen Terrace Apartments, Washington, DC; Hazel Hill Apartments, Fredericksburg, VA; Royal Courts Apartments, Washington, D.C.; Queen’s Manor Apartments, Hyattsville, MD; Burnt Mills Crossing Phase 2, Silver Spring, MD; Cranes Meadow Apartments, Ranson, West VA; Echo Mountain Apartments, Woodstock, VA; Griffith Commons Apartments, Winston-Salem, NC
âme Washington, DC
