Mark G. Swenson (born November 29, 1949) is an American architect and founding principal of Elness Swenson Graham Architects Inc. (ESG Architecture & Design) based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Swenson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 29, 1949. He attended Minnehaha Academy, where he graduated in 1967.^[1] He won an Evans Scholarship from Western Golf Association, which paid his way through college.^[2]

Swenson attended the University of Minnesota where he earned both a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree and a Masters of Architecture degree.^[3] Upon graduation he taught at the School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota for nine years while maintaining a full-time architectural position at a local firm, Ellerbe Architects.

He later moved to BRW Architects (ESG, Elness Swenson Graham Architects Inc., since 1997), where he served as its president from 1990 to 2016).^[4] In 1984, Swenson and David Graham completed their first project, a 270-room Radisson convention center hotel in Lansing, Michigan.^[5]

ESG became one of the largest architectural studios in Minnesota and specializes in hotel design.^[6] By 2017, it has designed more than 70 hotels.^[7] The firm re-designed several buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Minneapolis: the W Hotel / Foshay Tower (2008), Westin Hotel / Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank (2007), Midtown Exchange (2006) and Milwaukee Road Depot.^[8] These projects earned him Career Achievement Award from the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota.^[8][9]

Swenson held several positions at the American Institute of Architects, serving as a member of the AIA Minnesota Board of Directors from 2001 to 2007 and AIA North Central States Regional Director from 2011 to 2013.^[10] In 2008, Swenson was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA.)^[11] Only 3% of AIA members have received this distinction.^[12]