With a 40-year history of designing some of the city’s most notable buildings, the architecture firm begins a new chapter of growth and innovation.

JACKSONVILLE, FL, January 14, 2026 — The Jacksonville Classical Academy officially launched its new Forest Street K-12 Campus gymnasium today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that spotlighted the innovative work of the project’s lead architecture and design firm, PQH Group Design, Inc., a long-standing local business that has played a major role in the development of the city’s civic, educational, and mixed-use environments.

Attended by Jacksonville Classical Academy supporters and community members, the ceremony comes at a pivotal moment for PQH Group Design, as the company expands its ranks of leaders and principals to pursue new projects in healthcare, social impact, disaster relief and resilience, and other fast-growing areas.

“We are proud and excited to see this amazing educational institution get the gymnasium it deserves,” said Ricardo Quiñones, PQH Group Design president and CEO. “Serving students and the surrounding community, it will be a place of gathering, athletic achievement, and culture for generations to come.”

A tuition-free public charter school that offers a classical liberal arts and sciences education with a strong emphasis on character and civic virtue, Jacksonville Classical Academy wanted its Forest Street Campus to embody the school’s classical model and long-term community vision. They sought an educational center that could also serve as a neighborhood hub, hosting events and performances.

In 2018, the school selected PQH Group Design to design an 88,000‑square‑foot main school building and a 24,000‑square‑foot gymnasium, together forming a 112,000‑square‑foot campus in downtown Jacksonville. The main building opened in 2020.

The gymnasium ribbon cutting took place in the new facility, which includes full‑size basketball and volleyball courts with dual practice layouts, a performance stage, fitness room, locker rooms, support areas, and seating for 1200 spectators, integrated with outdoor fields to support both school and community use. Key design elements include a second-story VIP observation deck and balcony offering elevated views over both indoor courts and outdoor fields.

A Storied History, A Bright Future

Under the leadership of Ricardo Quiñones, PQH Group Design has over the past 40 years become one of Florida’s most prominent design and architecture firms. Guided by principles of collaboration, communication, and on-time delivery, the firm has built a legacy of more than 1,000 impactful projects across the education, civic, healthcare, and planning sectors.

These include standout facilities like the University of North Florida arena locker room renovation, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s new residential/mixed-use facility (which also functions as a hurricane shelter), the City of Jacksonville’s Fire Stations, and projects for foster care and the homeless. In 2025, the company was awarded the AIA Jacksonville Award of Excellence (Commercial Unbuilt) for its design of the New Berlin Library in Northeast Jacksonville.

The firm recently embarked on a new era of innovation, adding principals in sectors that show significant potential for growth. Today, PQH Group Design is led by a six-partner leadership team whose collective experience spans education, civic, healthcare, planning, and mixed-use development, reflecting both the firm’s long-standing expertise and its continued evolution.

PQH Group Design, Inc.
Based in Jacksonville, Florida, PQH Group Design is a full-service architecture firm delivering integrated solutions in architecture, interiors, planning, preservation, and visualization. For more than four decades, the company has partnered with clients to create environments that serve people, strengthen communities, and stand the test of time. For more information, visit PQH.com.

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