I go out of my way to avoid the news. However, I have even heard of the recent daylight robbery of the French Crown Jewels from the Louvre.

And because of reading those articles, the Google algorithms ensured I was aware of the museum heist in Oakland, CA, last week, where thieves got away with 1,000 artifacts.

All this reminds me of George Leonidas Leslie.

Who? You ask?

He may not be a household name among the architectural community, but he should be, if only to serve as a cautionary tale about architectural ambition gone awry.

But before I delve into how Leslie was the "architect" of the largest bank robbery in New York's history (to this day), let's learn about his accomplished career as a real architect.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1842, Leslie had all the pillars of a promising career in design.

He graduated with honors in architecture from the University of Cincinnati, cementing his reputation as a rising star in the building arts.

He even operated his own successful architectural firm, securing contracts and seeing opportunity beyond the drafting boards, such as supplying shovels for the construction of the first transcontinental railroad.

His practice was on solid footing, and his social standing was structurally sound.

However, he craved adventure and anonymity (he was labeled a draft dodger for buying his way out of the Civil War), so he sold his family's home, closed his firm, and moved to New York City at the age of 27.

In New York, Leslie moved into the Fifth Avenue Hotel. He knew a few people, including architect John Roebling, whom he had met in Cincinnati, where Roebling had built the Suspension Bridge in 1866.

Roebling invited Leslie to dinner at Delmonico's, where he introduced him to prominent financier James Fisk. Leslie praised Fisk's refurbishing of the Grand Opera House, flattering Fisk, who offered Leslie tickets to his play, The Twelve Temptations.

Fisk later invited Leslie to a private party at Fredericka "Marm" Mandelbaum's home; Mandelbaum was the city's biggest fence.

Leslie, intrigued by Mandelbaum's reputation and his desire to enter the criminal world, accepted.

New York City at the time had several loosely-knit gangs, including those led by Thomas "Shang" Draper, Johnny "The Mick" Walsh, and Mandelbaum. Leslie would later associate with all three.

From Blueprints to Break-Ins

Leslie's architectural expertise didn't go to waste; it evolved. He swiftly realized that in New York's grand design of underworld criminal enterprises, his skill set could be repurposed.

Instead of designing buildings, Leslie began casing banks. He gained access to blueprints, constructed meticulous scale models of vaults, and even led his gang in rehearsal break-ins using mock-ups—the ultimate "design-build" approach.

In fact, architectural puns in action defined Leslie's criminal career: He literally drafted robbery schemes, framed perfect alibis, built bridges to inside information, drilled into bank vaults, and always aimed to "elevate" his crew's take to new heights.

At the time, modern bank vault locks were thought to be unbreakable.

Most bank robbers relied on explosives to break into vaults, a loud and messy affair.

Leslie invented a tool, the "little joker"—a lock probe—that was inserted into safes, tracing the faint impressions as a "blueprint" for cracking combinations.

The way it worked was that, over time and with extended use, the lock's tumblers left dents or marks on the wire, which recorded the numbers that made up the combination.

The pinnical heist and structural collapse.

His crowning achievement was orchestrating the 1878 Manhattan Savings Institution robbery, where the gang of George Leonidas Leslie stole approximately $2.75 million in cash and securities (equivalent to about $80 million today).

His infamous exploits continued, including masterminding the 1876 Northampton Bank robbery, where $1.6 million changed hands without a single brick out of place, until internal tensions with his gang undermined his work.

Altogether, he stole at least $7 million ($200 million in today's money), much of it pilfered from the bank vaults of America's wealthiest titans.

Ironically, Leslie's fate was sealed not by the authorities, but by cracks within his own criminal "infrastructure." After violence entered his operations, he lost control over his "project team."

In 1878, Leslie was found dead in mysterious circumstances. Seemingly betrayed by one of his associates and buried quietly, his final resting place was a humble grave that belied the scale of his designs.

An architectural legacy with a crooked façade.

Leslie was an accomplished architect whose penchant for plans and structures ultimately broke new ground in criminal innovation.

Where you and I will be remembered for what we built, Leslie is remembered for what he broke.

As you can see, architectural training unlocks a wide array of career opportunities that go well beyond traditional residential design.

Not all of these paths, however, are quite so unconventional.

Building designers, for instance, possess critical skills applicable to construction management, project coordination, interior design, urban planning, technical sales, and code compliance.

Recognizing this extensive potential, the AIBD Designer Opportunity Expansion Committee, chaired by William Alexander and including members Bill Meier, Carl Bumpass, and Floyd Bean, meticulously gathered and curated valuable resources for building designers. These articles have since been further developed by the AIBD staff.

Their collective effort showcases successful strategies that building designers use to expand and create new business opportunities.

This comprehensive resource is presented as a multi-part series: Opportunities for Building Designers.

The committee's work began by considering the foundational services a building designer performs. While most designers offer far more, this series establishes a baseline from which to explore expanded practice opportunities.

Our aim is to provide methods and techniques that building designers everywhere can leverage to broaden their professional scope.

Every idea presented here has been successfully implemented and validated by AIBD members.

In the final analysis, of course, the only value in this information is how you use it.

We hope you choose the good.