In the ’70s, architect Matthew Kragh’s family began their annual trek from Indiana to Southwest Florida. The much-anticipated yearly vacations cultivated a love of place that would, in time, prove providential. “I spent many, many nights in a sleeping bag on the floor of my grandparents’ The Glades [Golf & Country Club] condo,” Matthew says. During one Naples spring break, the family drove down Gulf Shore Boulevard in his grandfather’s prized Cadillac. “I saw a $1 million beach house for sale, and it blew my mind,” the architect recalls.
Cut to a few decades later, and the founder of MHK Architecture is at the forefront of shaping the town he fell in love with as a child. His firm’s fingerprint permeates myriad commercial projects (Baker Park, Naples Square, Stella, The Mark on 8th, and the upcoming Huxley and Rosewood Residences Naples, to name a few). Meanwhile, MHK homes have become emblematic of the New-Old Naples, with their oversized brackets, louvered shutters and white-on-white facades. Since launching in 2009, the firm has grown to include nine studios across four states.
But, Matthew’s heart remains embedded in the local community. Earlier this year, he was inducted into Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida’s Business Hall of Fame as a as a laureate. Although he’s scaled back on nonprofit board commitments in recent years to spend more time with his family, he continues to channel his altruism through his firm and their pro bono projects. “[We] try to stick with what we do best,” he says. Currently, that includes designing a home for Habitat for Humanity, a large-scale facility for First Tee and Youth Haven’s new campus.
The most impactful build on MHK’s boards is the redesign of the iconic Naples Pier, which was destroyed in 2022 by Hurricane Ian, leaving a gaping hole in the city’s core. Tasked with the seventh rebuild for the pier following a storm, Matthew knew they had to do things differently and called in coastal resilience experts to help design a new superstructure to withstand hurricanes. While the new iteration will look different, Matthew says the landmark will continue to embody the essence that keeps him and others rooted in the region. “I have the best memories of putting my kids in their baby backpacks or bike seats and riding from Royal Harbor down to the pier,” he says. “It was always a big thing. We would park the bike, walk to the end of the pier, and stop to buy them a SpongeBob Popsicle or ice cream.”
Today, ‘Dad’ is the role Matthew treasures most. “I just try to be the best father I can for these kids while they’re at this age and try to encourage them to grow up to be good human beings,” he adds. —Melanie Warner Spencer