Architecture alumnus invests in the future

Growing up in the 1960s and 70s, Christopher Heard worked out the complexities of life while tromping through the Alabama woods with his three brothers and scads of cousins.

The 1985 Auburn University architecture graduate — and current principal owner at Hendrick, one of the nation’s premier design firms — has spent his decades-long career in Atlanta. But he still speaks openly and fondly about his upbringing in rural Alabama.

"Rural is kind of a big city word,” he said with a smile. “It was really just the country.”

Coming of age in the Deep South during the height of America’s Civil Rights Movement created a powerful backdrop for his formative years. But Heard’s own unique experiences during his childhood in Smiths Station and later during his years as an Auburn student became the lens he used to view what could be — and what would be — in his life one day.

“That time was fraught with challenges — especially as a Black person in the South,” he said. “And my family was by no means affluent. We were probably considered very poor. But when you grow up around a supportive family and church, the challenges don’t preclude you from succeeding and enjoying life. In fact, those support systems help you meet those challenges head-on.”

Heard has a deep contentment with his own journey. That satisfaction combined with a hope for current and future generations of Auburn students recently led him to make a gift to support architecture students in Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC).

“I want to be able to do something to help someone like me change their trajectory in life,” he said. “That’s what I hope this gift will do.”

The formative years

Heard was a smart kid. Good grades, a natural curiosity and high science and math test scores made a career in medicine seem like the obvious choice — until it wasn’t.

“The tests and academics would suggest, ‘Oh, you should be a scientist or a pharmacist,’ and becoming a research pharmacist really did interest me,” he said. “Then I discovered I couldn’t stand the sight of blood.”

That realization led Heard to lean into his creative, visual side that drove him to draw, build, take apart and decipher. But it was a high school English class project that ultimately led him to discover his career passion.

“I chose Frank Lloyd Wright for an assignment on a famous American and that’s when the interest in architecture began,” he said. “It was visual. It was mathematical. It was physics. And it was something you could do really creative, beautiful things with. I decided then I wanted to be an architect.”

The Auburn years

With his goal in sight, Heard set out to discover the higher education path necessary to reach it. A first-generation college student, he navigated the application process largely on his own, narrowing the list to Auburn, Georgia Institute of Technology and Tuskegee University. He chose the Plains for a variety of reasons but the most significant included finances and what he believed an Auburn education could do for his future.

“The education was what was important to me,” he said. “Growing up, I didn’t expect to have what you would call a ‘college experience’ because it was still a challenging time racially. But I wanted to transition myself out of one kind of economic existence into something more. I also just wanted to see more of the world outside of where I grew up and I knew education was going to be crucial for me to do that.”

Like many high-achieving students, Heard went from being a big fish in a small academic pond to being one of many bright, talented students on Auburn’s campus. As the only Black architecture student at the time, there were tough days as he acclimated. The architecture program challenged him, but his dreams drove him, his church and family supported him, and the kindness of near strangers buoyed him.

“I often worked late into the night on projects in Dudley Hall and had gotten to know two Black gentlemen from the janitorial staff,” he said. “They were kind, interested in my work and would talk with me about how I was doing. One night, they handed me $100 and insisted I take it.”

It wasn’t the largest gift he received for his college education, but it meant a great deal to him.

“I tried to refuse, but they insisted that I needed it. They shared that it was important to them to see me there and that they were proud of me,” Heard said. “That was a very powerful moment for me. I never forgot it — or them.”

Heard’s Auburn experience was marked by other memorable moments like an advisor advocating for him, making the Dean’s List and an emotional late-night phone call with his mom during a difficult project in his thesis year. Each experience shaped him and propelled him forward. And despite the challenges, he never wavered from his goal.

“I had a destination,” he said.

The building years

A few months after graduating from Auburn, Heard moved to Atlanta with big city dreams in tow. Sleeping on friends’ sofas until he could find his own place was a small price to pay for seeing his hard work pay off and his dream come true. He launched his career with a position at an architectural firm and after a few years, he was recruited by a fellow Auburn graduate at another company.

The adventure had begun. 

His career charts a path of hard work, creativity and strong relationships. He learned, tried new approaches, grew and left positions for new ones on the best of terms with mentors already waiting to hire him back. He credits his Auburn education with teaching multiple disciplines and preparing him to work with a variety of settings, specialties and projects.

Heard returned to his current firm, Hendrick, in 1999 after being recruited away for a few years. And, in 2008, he and a business partner were invited to become principal owners.

“It was a terrible time to buy a business because the economy had just crashed,” he said. “It was tough and reminded me of choosing to go to college all those years ago without any idea of how it would work. So, it was this kind of déjà vu feeling of, ‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to do here, but I better figure it out.’”

He did figure things out — the way he always has. Heard is a master at relationships and the work; a perfect balance for an industry that requires both to succeed. And the combination is what has fueled his success.

“I think it still boils down to creating environments that people engage with that have an impact on what they do,” he said. “It’s the creativity of it all — it’s just creating.”

He still loves the creative work but now more often finds himself in the role of leader, coach or mentor. Lucky for him, this full-circle career moment brings great satisfaction and joy.

“I really enjoy seeing talented individuals come into their own understanding and just get it,” he said. “I’m able to help them gain the knowledge and skills they need to become strong creators, architects and designers. It’s wonderful and this process makes me very happy.”

The giving years

With high hopes for the future of his field, Heard is committed to doing what he can to help Auburn architecture students succeed. Giving is a significant part of his plan.

“Philanthropy is very powerful, but it can also be a quiet and subtle thing,” he said. “You just don’t know the impact you can have on someone’s life. I personally experienced that in so many ways. And now it’s a blessing to be able to do that for others.”

It was during his research into how he could give to future Auburn architecture students in his will that he reconnected with his alma mater. He had served as a juror for various studios, or student projects, early after graduation but the years since then were spent building his career and life away from the Plains. Today, “paying it forward” has taken up significant space in his thoughts and plans. 

“I’m passionate about helping students have a different experience than I did in college,” he said. “I hope my gift will help them not have to be concerned about the financial component of going to school but instead focus on having a real college experience as they get their education.” 

Putting that passion into action, Heard included a substantial gift in his estate plan to support students pursuing an Auburn architecture degree. The Christopher Heard '85 Endowed Scholarship in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture will help students like him find a new hope and future through an Auburn education.

“As I started to plan my estate and look back over my career and what I consider to be important, I realized that so much of it goes back to my education at Auburn,” he said.

This realization inspired him to engage further. He now serves on the CADC Dean’s Executive Board and is the college’s 2024 Auburn Black Alumni Award recipient. He also hopes to work directly with students in the coming years, giving of his time as well as his resources.

“At this point in my career, there are still things I want to do,” he said. “But one of the things I feel very strongly about is how an Auburn education can change someone’s life. I know this because it changed mine.”