The firm was founded in 1961 as Howard H. Nearing, AIA Architect and in 1963 the firm became Howard H. Nearing, AIA / P.S. Staats, Associate, Architects with the addition of Stan Staats to the practice. The office at the time was located in the Bryant Building, 11th and Grand, Kansas City, Missouri.

Nearing and Staats, Architects, a Partnership, was formed in 1965 and at that time the office was relocated to Johnson County, Kansas.

Nearing and Staats, AIA Architects Chartered was incorporated July 6, 1973 and in December of 1988, Nearing Staats Prelogar & Jones, AIA Architects Chartered was formed with the inclusion of Bill Prelogar, Jr., AIA and Richard E. Jones, AIA, as Principal Architects and Owners. In March, 2002 the firm moved into a building of its own design located at 3515 West 75th Street, Prairie Village, Kansas.

In February of 2007, the firm expanded its general practice with the addition of a Landscape Architectural and Land Planning department headed by Principal Landscape Architect Brick Owens. Owens brings 30 years of Landscape Architecture, Land Planning, and Community & Regional Planning to the firm.

Since the organization of the firm, a general practice of architecture has been conducted. Over 5,000 projects have been designed in all fields of architecture and include remodelings, renovations and expansions, as well as new residential and commercial. The firm’s projects include: custom residences; builder's homes; apartment developments; planned unit housing developments; townhouse communities; recreational facilities, including country clubs, golf course club houses and swim and racquet clubs; banks and savings and loan buildings; shopping centers; office buildings of all types, including corporate headquarters, regional offices and multi-tenant office buildings; institutional buildings, including elementary schools, college classroom buildings, student unions, libraries, art museums and churches; retail and storage buildings; and office/warehouse buildings.

The firm is currently comprised of a talented, professional staff of 26 individuals. Co-Presidents Bill Prelogar and Rick Jones lead a team of ten registered architects, two registered landscape architects, seven intern architects, an intern landscape architect, an ASID registered interior designer, and three administrative personnel that collectively represent over 500 years of experience in the field. NSPJ’s size and experience allow each project to receive the detailed attention and knowledgeable oversight needed to be designed and constructed with the highest value added result for our clients.