About Us

C. Merrill Barber originates a structural engineering firm in his name, Merrill Barber Engineering.

Nate Hoffman joins Merrill Barber Engineering.

Our firm designed the St. John Arena facility, named for Lynn St. John, who served as Ohio State’s men’s basketball coach and athletic director until 1947. The multi-purpose arena hosted many NCAA games until 1998.

The Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building is the first skyscraper completed by the firm. The 31-story building (419 feet tall) is located in Cleveland, Ohio and has 575,000 square feet.

Barber & Hoffman, Incorporated is formed. Nate Hoffman is named as the firm President.

Rhodes Tower (originally University Tower), a 21-story building located in the center of Cleveland State University. B&H is the Engineer of Record for the design of this iconic building. As of 2021, Rhodes Tower is the tallest educational facility in Ohio, and the fourth tallest in the United States.

Mr. Lalwani served as the firm President for 24 years before retiring in 2004, after a distinguished long career of 43 years with the firm. With an aptitude for design of high rise buildings, space frames, post-tensioned concrete structures, vibration analysis, soils analysis and design of special foundations, Mr. Lalwani led major projects in the role of principal-in-charge.

Mr. Anderson spent his entire professional career with B&H since joining the firm in 1962 after earning his B.S. degree in civil engineering from Fenn College (now Cleveland State University). He was actively involved with reputable industry organizations such as the American Consulting Engineers Association, the Ohio Association of Consulting Engineers, the Cleveland Engineering Society and the State of Ohio Board of Building Standards. He served as the firm’s chief operating and financial officer before retiring in 2004.

B&H is the Engineer of Record for the W. O. Walker Center – built to house and treat injured workers. Today, this Cleveland Clinic building (Building C) houses the physical therapy department. The building was named for William O. Walker, the longtime editor of Cleveland’s black weekly newspaper the Call and Post.

B&H served as the structural engineer of record on the iconic Great Lakes Science Center – one of America’s largest interactive science museums. More than 400 exciting “hands-on” exhibits, OMNIMAX® films, daily demonstrations, and educational programs show visitors the interdependency of science, environment, and technology.

The firm opens an office in Pennsylvania led by Michael Miller. The office originally located in Butler, PA moves to its current location in Cranberry Township, Butler County, PA in 2000.

B&H designed the 480,000 SF state-of-the-art research and education facility on the Cleveland Clinic campus. The facility consists of three buildings, six stories high forming a U-shape. The facility is comprised of: a research wing, a biomedical engineering wing, and an education wing (which includes a library, offices, and lecture rooms).

Robert (Bob) Jordan joined the firm in 1975 after graduating from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Architectural Engineering. Mr. Jordan was associated with the firm for 36 years during which he progressed from  an engineer-in-training to Principal-in-charge and eventually became the firm President and Treasurer.

This 17-story, 384,000 SF building provides a wide variety of academic learning spaces and labs as well as public meeting areas, a restaurant, and hotel – all of which connect the institution to Harrisburg, PA.

To expand on its presence in central and southern Ohio, the firm opens an office in Columbus, led by Niru Dabholkar.

A five-year phased façade restoration program is successfully completed by the firm on this iconic building in downtown Cleveland. The masonry restoration of the 52-story building (originally constructed in 1929) includes repairs to terra cotta, stone and brick exterior materials.

With an innate talent for problem solving and out- of-the-box thinking, Mr. Saab rose through the ranks of the company to become the firm president. During his association of 29 years with the firm, he successfully led structural design on several iconic projects, while mentoring young engineers along the way. He served the A/E/C community with extraordinary honor, distinction, and poise.

The firm remains committed to the principles of its founders, while continuing to grow and modernize to meet the demands of the future.