Regionalism and Modernism in Seattle Architecture, 1930s-1970s

This is a free event, registration is not required.

Sat, Apr 25, 2015 from 1pm - 3pm

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This is a FREE Event and registration is not required. 

Professor and architectural historian Jeffrey Karl Ochsner presents an introduction to the history and influence of the mid-century development of regional modern architecture in the Seattle area.

 

This lecture will address the origins and development of regional modern architecture in the Seattle area from the 1930s to the 1970s, and will conclude by summarizing some of the legacies of this approach to design. In 1974, Victor Steinbrueck and Folke Nyberg described this architecture as Northwest Regionalism and said it offered "a direct expression of material and workmanship particularly in the use of wood and masonry as well as a relationship to outdoor living with broad terraces or balconies…" They also noted that works in this mode were usually strongly connected to their natural setting.

The lecture will focus primarily on single-family residential and small institutional buildings because these were the types where architects most frequently incorporated a regionalist approach to design. Ochsner will discuss architects, influences, building types, constructional character, stylistic directions and other aspects of the mid-century modern architecture reflective of this region.

Ochsner has taught at the University of Washington for 26 years. He has written and/or edited five books addressing Seattle's architectural and urban history, including the Second Edition of Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects, published by UW Press in 2014.

Photo: Ben Benschneider

 

 

Seattle Public Library

1000 Fourth Ave
Seattle, WA 98104

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