For our family, service isn’t an abstract idea. My husband served in the U.S. Navy, and this year we watched our daughter toss her cover into the air as she graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and commissioned as an officer. Those moments shape how we see our work. As an architect, I believe the most meaningful way to honor veterans is to design places that serve them as faithfully as they served us.
That belief has guided Kaeding Architecture for years, and it is why we were proud to design the American Legion post here in Waconia. A Legion hall is more than a meeting space. It’s where veterans find camaraderie, where families gather on Memorial Day, and where a community says thank you. Designing it meant thinking about dignity and welcome: accessible entries, gathering spaces that feel warm rather than institutional, and room to display the flags, memorials, and stories that matter to its members.
We are now taking that commitment further. My husband, Jeremy, and I have launched Kaeding A&E, a veteran-owned architecture and engineering company that can help aid in our efforts of getting more opportunities within the community. Being veteran-owned opens the door to partnering directly with the Department of Veterans Affairs on projects that reach veterans where they live, heal, and receive care.
We know what good design can do for a veteran: an entrance that’s easy to navigate in a wheelchair, natural light in a clinic waiting room, quiet spaces that respect what people carry with them. These details are not extras. They are how architecture says, “We see you.”
Our family’s story is one of service passed from one generation to the next. Through our work, we hope to carry that tradition forward, one thoughtfully designed building at a time.
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