ROBERT L. DURHAM, ARCHITECT BOLA Architecture + Planning February 16, 2015 Note: This document describes the life and work of a noted Northwest architect, Robert Lewis Durham. The information was derived from BOLA’s prior research, a 2008 report on the Women’s University Club Addition, and a 2013landmark nomination report on Seattle Fire Station No. 5. Robert L. Durham was the original designer of the First Church of Christ, Scientist. Located at 8685 SE 47 th Street, off Island Crest Way on Mercer Island, it is an intact example of Northwest Modern style religious architecture. The building, constructed in 1960-61, was acquired by the Shevet Achim congregation in November 2014 – Susan Boyle, AIA, BOLA BIOGRAPHY Robert Lewis Durham (April 28, 1912 - July 25, 1998), of Durham Anderson Freed, designed the garage and dining room addition to the Women's University Club in 1962. The son of an architect, he was born in Seattle in 1912 and raised in Tacoma. He was educated at the College of Puget Sound, and graduated with a Bachelor in Architecture cum laude from the University of Washington, School of Architecture in 1936. After graduating in the middle of the Depression, Durham was employed briefly by Seattle architect B. Dudley Stuart as a draftsman, and then by the Federal Housing Authority, where he was a cost analyst until 1941. Records from the Seattle Chapter of the AIA summarizing the life and work of Paul Hayden Kirk (1914-1995), note that Kirk established his own firm in 1939, but that during World War II he partnered with Durham and B. Dudley Stuart as Stuart, Kirk & Durham, Associated Architects. (Paul Kirk went on in ca. 1945 to establish Chiarelli and Kirk with architect James Chiarelli, and later formed Kirk, Wallace, McKinley, AIA, and Architects.) Records also indicate that in 1941 Stuart and Durham formed a partnership that lasted for a decade until Stuart’s retirement in 1951. During a brief period in the late 1930s and early 1940s, when Durham was principal of a sole design practice (Robert L. Durham and Associates), he designed a range of buildings: the Noel Residence, Ballard (1937, 1939); an addition to First Methodist Church, Hermiston, Idaho (1936); Dr. Jenkin Residence (1935); Maley House and Garage (1936); E. L. Nichols Residence (1935); a Cold Storage Warehouse for Okanogan Grower’s Union, Omak (1935); Rainier Poultry Company Building, Seattle (1951); State Road No. 1, Nisqually River Bridge Approach/Slough Bridges (1936); remodels of the downtown Seattle Young Women's Christian Association Building (work on this building continued through 1967); the Otto H. Wagner Residence (1936); and a remodel of the Westminster Presbyterian Church (1939). Early projects by Stuart and Durham included the All Saints Episcopal Church, Burien (1951); alterations of the YMCA on East Madison St., Seattle; an early building for the Association of General Contractors on the south slope of Queen Anne Hill (1950); a warehouse and office Building for J. W. Warrack Company (unknown date); a residential park on Mercer Island (1948); and a building for an auto dealership, Smith-Gandy Ford Building (1946); along with plans for tract houses in Seattle for the Lovell Construction Company in the early 1940s, and later tract houses in Seattle and Kenmore in the early to mid-1950s (David Rash in Ochsner, p. 455). Durham, who came of age in the 1930s, retained a social idealism that apparently emerged in his early career during the late years of the Great Depression, and most of his professional practice occurred during Seattle’s mid-century progressive era. He remained harshly critical of the profit motives of some developers and planners, stating in a local newspaper that, “the suburban slums which they are now building are not dominated by the church steeple nor by the dome of the town hall, but by an enormous
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ROBERT L. DURHAM, ARCHITECT BOLA Architecture + Planning February 16, 2015 Note: This document describes the life and work of a noted Northwest architect, Robert Lewis Durham. The information was derived from BOLA’s prior research, a 2008 report on the Women’s University Club Addition, and a 2013landmark nomination report on Seattle Fire Station No. 5. Robert L. Durham was the original designer of the First Church of Christ, Scientist. Located at 8685 SE 47th Street, off Island Crest Way on Mercer Island, it is an intact example of Northwest Modern style religious architecture. The building, constructed in 1960-61, was acquired by the Shevet Achim congregation in November 2014 – Susan Boyle, AIA, BOLA BIOGRAPHY Robert Lewis Durham (April 28, 1912 - July 25, 1998), of Durham Anderson Freed, designed the garage and dining room addition to the Women's University Club in 1962. The son of an architect, he was born in Seattle in 1912 and raised in Tacoma. He was educated at the College of Puget Sound, and graduated with a Bachelor in Architecture cum laude from the University of Washington, School of Architecture in 1936. After graduating in the middle of the Depression, Durham was employed briefly by Seattle architect B. Dudley Stuart as a draftsman, and then by the Federal Housing Authority, where he was a cost analyst until 1941. Records from the Seattle Chapter of the AIA summarizing the life and work of Paul Hayden Kirk (1914-1995), note that Kirk established his own firm in 1939, but that during World War II he partnered with Durham and B. Dudley Stuart as Stuart, Kirk & Durham, Associated Architects. (Paul Kirk went on in ca. 1945 to establish Chiarelli and Kirk with architect James Chiarelli, and later formed Kirk, Wallace, McKinley, AIA, and Architects.) Records also indicate that in 1941 Stuart and Durham formed a partnership that lasted for a decade until Stuart’s retirement in 1951. During a brief period in the late 1930s and early 1940s, when Durham was principal of a sole design practice (Robert L. Durham and Associates), he designed a range of buildings: the Noel Residence, Ballard (1937, 1939); an addition to First Methodist Church, Hermiston, Idaho (1936); Dr. Jenkin Residence (1935); Maley House and Garage (1936); E. L. Nichols Residence (1935); a Cold Storage Warehouse for Okanogan Grower’s Union, Omak (1935); Rainier Poultry Company Building, Seattle (1951); State Road No. 1, Nisqually River Bridge Approach/Slough Bridges (1936); remodels of the downtown Seattle Young Women's Christian Association Building (work on this building continued through 1967); the Otto H. Wagner Residence (1936); and a remodel of the Westminster Presbyterian Church (1939). Early projects by Stuart and Durham included the All Saints Episcopal Church, Burien (1951); alterations of the YMCA on East Madison St., Seattle; an early building for the Association of General Contractors on the south slope of Queen Anne Hill (1950); a warehouse and office Building for J. W. Warrack Company (unknown date); a residential park on Mercer Island (1948); and a building for an auto dealership, Smith-Gandy Ford Building (1946); along with plans for tract houses in Seattle for the Lovell Construction Company in the early 1940s, and later tract houses in Seattle and Kenmore in the early to mid-1950s (David Rash in Ochsner, p. 455). Durham, who came of age in the 1930s, retained a social idealism that apparently emerged in his early career during the late years of the Great Depression, and most of his professional practice occurred during Seattle’s mid-century progressive era. He remained harshly critical of the profit motives of some developers and planners, stating in a local newspaper that, “the suburban slums which they are now building are not dominated by the church steeple nor by the dome of the town hall, but by an enormous
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dollar sign invisible but still very real” (Seattle Times, April 23, 1967). As an advocate of the goals and tenets of Modern over stylistic expression, he noted, “[s]tyle as such may take one last dying breath, but it’s a gone goose, because all over the world people expect to relate to houses today, rather than the romantic attraction of the past” (Seattle Times, February 17, 1953). As Northwest Modernism grew popular as a regional style in the mid-20th century, Durham recognized in it a trend toward “integrity… [and] harmony with nature” (Seattle Times, February 17, 1953). His early work with the Federal Housing Administration appears to have contributed to his interest in the use of pre-fabricated and modular components to reduce costs of “better-designed houses” (University District Herald, June 6, 1953). In 1954, Durham partnered with architects Aaron Freed and David R. Anderson to form Durham Anderson Freed. For the balance of his career, Durham’s work focused on non-residential projects, notably religious structures. A number of these Durham Anderson Freed projects were collaborations with architect Richard Peterson. In 1975, the firm changed its name to Durham Anderson Freed/HDR to reflect its association with Henningson Durham & Richardson, a much larger Omaha, Nebraska based, multi-disciplinary design firm. (That firm closed in 1980 when Durham retired. However, HDR Architecture/HDR Engineering still maintains a Northwest-based office in Bellevue, Washington.) Durham Anderson Freed received considerable local and national attention for their designs of over 200 religious buildings, and earned several national awards for these projects. The firm’s design of the Fauntleroy Congregational Church (a designated City of Seattle Landmark) received a National Honor Award for Institutional Buildings in 1952 from the American Institute of Architects (AIA); the First Methodist Church, Mount Vernon, Washington, won a similar design award in 1961; Highland Covenant Church, Bellevue, placed first in the 1964 Church Awards Competition of the National Association of Evangelicals. National honors were given for St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church in Burien (where Durham was a member as well as designer), St. James Presbyterian Church in Bellingham, and several others (DocomomoWeWa website; several of these projects were cited also in Victor Steinbrueck’s 1962 Seattle Cityscape.) Most of these designs emphasize the sanctuary in their massing, with a simple volume. Durham frequently used innovative mid-century materials and structural framing techniques, leaving these elements exposed and undecorated to express their innate qualities. Robert Durham and Durham Anderson Freed’s work also included schools, residences, commercial buildings, and master plans. The Brutalist style 1971 library project at The Evergreen State College is an impressive late work that features a cast-in-place waffle slab system and dramatic cantilever at the main entry. The AIA Seattle cited the following Durham Anderson Freed’s design projects as notable (Hancock):
Fauntleroy Congregational Church, 9140-9260 California Avenue SW, in West Seattle (1952), a designated City landmark (ordinance 110348)
Forest Lawn Mausoleum, 6701 30th SW, Seattle (1954) An apartment building overlooking Kinnear Park, the Skyline House, 600 West Olympic
Place, Seattle (1956) Bothell Methodist Church, 18515 - 92nd Avenue NE, Bothell (1959) Port of Seattle Shilshole Bay Marina Administration Building, Seattle (1961, demolished) The Southwest Branch of Seattle Public Library, 9101 35th Avenue SW, West Seattle (1961,
demolished) This building played an important role in the firm’s business growth as it served as a stepping stone for the firm’s later library work, such as the building at TESC and the Richland and Burien Public Libraries.
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Fire Station No. 5, on Alaskan Way on Seattle’s central waterfront (1964). This concrete structure with a 60-foot tower received a Prestressed Concrete Institute design citation and a Seattle Times award. It was designated a City of Seattle landmark in 2014.
The AGC Building, at 1200 Westlake Ave. North, on the west shore of Lake Union (1965) Atmospheric Sciences Building on the University of Washington campus, Seattle (1970) Horizon House Retirement Home, 900 University Place, on First Hill, Seattle (1971) The Daniel J. Evans Library, The Evergreen State College (TESC), Olympia (1971)
Durham cited the $8 million Evergreen building as “the largest building we have done in our thirty-year practice.”
Durham was committed to civic involvement, and he was very active within the architectural community both locally and nationally. He served as the President of the Seattle Chapter, AIA and went on to serve as secretary of the Washington State Chapter, AIA in 1942, Board member in 1947-1950, and President in 1954. In 1959 he was elected to Fellowship in the organization in recognition of his commitment to design and to the profession. A chairman for Seattle’s Municipal Arts Commission, Durham was selected to lead the Chairmanship of the Cultural Arts Advisory Board for the World’s Fair in 1959 - 1961. In 1965, he was elected Vice President and President Elect for the National AIA, where he served as President in 1967 - 1968. He was also a board member and vice president of the Guild for Religious Architecture. Robert Durham died in 1998 at the age of 87. An obituary for Durham cited his prolific career, his award-winning Fauntleroy Community Congregational Church, and his reputation as a “‘church architect.’“ It also noted Durham, Anderson and Freed’s interfaith chapel at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, and the campus plans for Seattle Pacific University and The Evergreen State College (Beers, Carole, August 1, 1998). Richard V. “Dick” Peterson, an architect in the office of Durham Anderson Freed, was a frequent design collaborator with Richard Durham. Anderson was born on September 18th 1922 in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he attended a Catholic grammar and high schools. He attended the University of California in 1941, but enlisted in the Army in 1942. He left the military in 1945 as a First Lieutenant with both a Purple Heart and a Silver Star. He moved to Seattle that same year, where he attended the University of Washington’s School of Architecture. He graduated in 1950 and joined Durham’s firm that year. He retired from the firm in 1986. Anderson and his family lived in the Sheridan Heights neighborhood in north Seattle for many years. He died in Seattle in December 2010 at the age of 88 (Seattle Times, December 26, 2010). Architectural projects by Robert Durham and Richard Peterson include the several condominium buildings in the ski resort, Hyak, Washington, in 1955-1961 and again in 1969; a pool bathhouse for Camp Casey in 1960; camp buildings Warm Beach Manor in Snohomish County in 1962-1967; Seattle medical clinics in 1963 and 1965; an addition to the Alaska State Bank - Mountain View Branch in 1965; the addition to Leckenby Company office building on Seattle’s Harbor Island in 1967; an addition to Carnival Restaurant on Aurora Avenue N, Seattle; and the Park Shore Retirement Home, Seattle, in 1968. With Durham, he was also responsible for the design of over 20 religious projects for a variety of congregations, including the following churches, temples, and church office buildings and schools:
Rainier Beach Presbyterian Church, 9656 Waters Avenue, Seattle, 1957 and 1958 Addition to First Methodist Church, Sunnyside, 1958 and 1960 First Presbyterian Church, Kennewick, 1959 and 1964 Lake Washington Methodist Church, 7525 132nd NE, Kirkland, 1961
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St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Renton, 1961 Summit Methodist Church, 5316 E 104th Street, Tacoma, 1961 and 1967 Trinity United Presbyterian Church, 1315 N 160th Street, Seattle, 1961-1962 St. Paul's Lutheran Church, H Street at 3rd Avenue SE, Quincy, 1962 Riverview Methodist Church, Pasco, 1962 Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, 6th Avenue & Fife Street, Tacoma, 1962 First Methodist Church, Puyallup, ca. 1963 Temple Sinai, 556 124th Avenue NE, Bellevue, 1962 and 1967 Trinity Methodist Church, Wenatchee, 1963 Free Methodist Headquarters Building, 3120 3rd Avenue W, 1963 and 1964 St. Andrew's Methodist Church, Tanglewilde, Tacoma 1963 and 1964 First Baptist Church, Chehalis, 1964 Addition to Bothell First Methodist, Bothell, WA, 1964 Queen of All Saints Catholic Church, for the Catholic Diocese of Yakima, 1964-1965 Addition to Mountlake Christian School, 23606 W 54th Avenue, Mountlake Terrace, 1966 Riverton Methodist Church, 3118 140th Street, King County, 1966 McMicken Heights Baptist Church, 3754 S 172nd Street, 1966 Longview Methodist Church, Longview, with Richard Peterson, Assoc., 1967 Alterations to Bethany United Presbyterian Church, 1818 Queen Anne Avenue N,1969 Renton First Baptist Church, Langston Avenue & Hardie Street, Renton, ca. 1969
PROJECT LIST The University of Washington Special Collections has a drawing collection for an estimated 255 projects by architect Robert L. Durham. These are cited below in a list, which excludes projects that appeared to be preliminary designs (as indicated by a minimal number of sheets in a set). These are noted as projects by Durham a sole design professional, or by the partnership of Durham and Stuart, or by Durham Anderson Freed, along with any associated architects. Projects are located in Seattle, unless noted otherwise (approximately fifty percent – 116 – of the projects are religious buildings in Seattle, Alaska, and throughout the Northwest). Dates are those on the drawings. Projects by Robert L. Durham: Cold Storage for Warehouse for Okanogan Grower's Union, Okanogan, WA, 1935
Shell Service Station for John Maley, Omak, WA, 1935
Residence for Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Nichols, Omak, WA, 1935
Residence for Dr. G. W. Jenkin, Omak, WA, 1935
Residence and Garage for John Maley, Omak, WA, 1936
Dr. and Mrs. T.J., McCain Residence, Omak, WA, 1936
Residence for Mr. and Mrs. Otto H. Wagner, Okanogan, WA, 1936
House for Mr. and Mrs. Noel Ballard, 1937
Log Cabin in Snohomish County for Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Kravik, Everett, 1942
Smith-Gandy Ford Building, at Boren Avenue & Olive Way, 1946
Rainier Poultry Company Building, 2001 21st Street S, 1951
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Projects by Stuart and Durham: Association of General Contractors (AGC) Construction Center, W Harrison & 3rd Avenue N, 1950
All Saints Episcopal Church, 5150 Cloverdale Street, 1951
Remodel of the Young Women's Christian Association Building, 5th & Seneca, 1953
Remodel of Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1729 Harvard Avenue, 1953
Addition to First Methodist Church, corner of Gladys Avenue E & NE 2nd Street, Hermiston, OR, 1966
J. W. Warrack Company Warehouse and Office Building, at the NE corner of 2nd Avenue W & W Harrison Street, n/d
Community First Congregational Church, Bellevue, with John Lindahl, Assoc., n/d
Projects by Durham, Anderson and Freed Family housing for U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, Fort Lewis, WA, 1947-1967
Community Congregational Church, Pullman, WA, 1953
Miscellaneous Housing projects, 1954-1956
St. John's Lutheran Church, N 55th Street and Phinney Avenue N, 1954-1956
Bank of Anacortes, Anacortes, WA, 1955
Alterations for YWCA Building, 5th & Seneca, 1955, 1960 and 1968 (additions in 1953-1959, and revisions in 1967)
Alterations and additions for First Congregational Church, Walla Walla, WA, 1955
Le Sourd Methodist Church, N 15th & Hudson Street, Tacoma, WA, 1955
Addition to Woodland Park Presbyterian Church, SW corner of Greenwood Avenue & N 70th Street, 1955, with alterations in 1966 and 1969
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Port Angeles, WA, 1955-1956
Hyak Condominium Buildings, Hyak, WA, with Richard Peterson, Assoc., 1955-1961
First Methodist and Congregational Church, Port Angeles, WA, 1955-1961
Alterations and Additions to Trianon Dancing Pavilion, 218 Wall Street, for Mission Supply Co., 1956
Holly Park Friends Church, 4308 Othello Street, 1956
Simpson Methodist Church, Pullman, WA, 1956
Family housing for U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, McChord Air Force Base, WA, 1956
Alterations and additions to Bethel Presbyterian Church, Greenwood Avenue & N 110th Street, 1956, 1957 and 1959
First Lutheran Church, 4105 California Avenue, 1956-1957
Bothell First Methodist Church, Bothell, WA, 1956-1957
Medical-Dental Building for Dr. Norman S. Strand, Mercer Island, 1957
Parkland Methodist Church, Parkland, WA, 1957
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First Methodist Church, Sunnyside, WA, 1957 and 1958
First Church of Christ Scientist, SE of 47th Street & 86th Avenue SE, Mercer Island, WA, 1957 and 1960
Mason Methodist Church, Madison at 27th Street, Tacoma, 1957, 1959
Rainier Beach Presbyterian Church, 9656 Waters Avenue at Keppler Street, Seattle, 1957, 1958, with Richard Peterson, Assoc., and 1959, with additions in 1963-1964
Addition to the Alki Congregational Church, 3400 62nd SW, 1957 and 1958
Selah Methodist Church, Selah, WA, 1957-1958
Brighton Presbyterian Church, 1958
First Baptist Church, SW corner of Pacific Avenue & Wetmore Avenue, Everett, 1958
Queen Anne Lutheran Church, 8th Avenue W & McGraw Street, 1958-59
Mason Methodist Church, Tacoma, WA, 1958-1959
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Mercer Island, WA, 1958-1959
Addition to First Methodist Church, Sunnyside, WA, with Richard Peterson, Assoc., 1958 and 1960
Addition to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Mercer Island, WA, 1958 and 1963
Hyak Ski Area (Hyak Estates), Kititas County, WA, 1966
Buck Creek Camp - Winterized Lodge, 1966-1967
Hyak Condominium Development - Restaurant and Beerstube, Kititas County WA, 1967
United Church of Ferndale, Ferndale, WA, 1967
Longview Methodist Church, Longview, WA, with Richard Peterson, Assoc., 1967
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Addition to Leckenby Company Office Building, 2745 11th Avenue SW, Harbor Island, WA, with Richard Peterson, Assoc., 1967
Residence for Mr. and Mrs. Irving Easton, Ravenna Avenue NE at NE 61st Street, 1968
Additions and alterations to Northlake Lutheran, Kenmore, WA, 1967, 1969
Sitka Lutheran Church, Sitka, AK, with Fred G. Rounds, Fred G., Assoc. Architect, 1967
Columbia Baptist Church, 1967
Addition to Chehalis Methodist Church, Chehalis, WA, 1967
Highline Methodist Church, 1967 and 1970
Park Shore Retirement Home, 1630 43rd Avenue N, with Richard Peterson, Assoc., 1968
Waterville Federated Church, Waterville, WA, 1968
Monroe Methodist Church, Monroe, WA, 1968
Animal hospital for Dr. William Callahan, 4541 Union Bay Place NE, 1968
Family housing for the Department of the Navy, US Naval Air Station, Whidbey Island, WA, 1968
Family housing for the Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, US Naval Air Station, Whidbey Island, WA, 1969
Hyak Condominium Buildings No. 1 and 2, Kititas Co., WA, with Richard Peterson, Assoc., 1969
First United Methodist Church, 3rd Avenue & Cowlitz Way, Kelso, WA, 1969
Addition to First Presbyterian Church, 1st & Birch Street, Walla Walla, WA, 1969
Alterations to the Republic Building for Parklane Hosiery, 1511 3rd Avenue, 1969
Pioneer Methodist Church, 1969
Cascade Christian Reformed Church, Marysville, WA, 1969
Alterations to Bethany United Presbyterian Church, 1818 Queen Anne Avenue N., with Richard Peterson, Assoc., 1969
Renton First Baptist Church, Langston Avenue & Hardie Street, Renton, WA, with Richard Peterson, Assoc., ca. 1969
Project for John Daley, Ketchikan, AK, 1970
New sanctuary for Community Methodist Church, Chimacum, WA, 1970
Alterations to Advent Christian Community Church, Lynnwood, WA, 1971
Parkside Church, Tacoma, WA, 1971-1972
Additions to Church of the Nazarene, 4401 2nd Avenue NE, 1973
First Presbyterian Church, 1977
Model homes for J. B. Warrack (Lynnevue Homes), Haines, AK, n/d
Cosmopolitan Hotel, Denver, CO, n/d
Commercial Building for Equity Reality, NE Main & "C" Streets, Auburn, WA, n/d
Addition to Carnival Restaurant, 101 Aurora N, Seattle, with Richard Peterson, Assoc., n/d
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Beers, Carol, “Robert Durham, 86, Was Architect Known for Churches He Designer,” August 1, 1998
(Seattle Times website) BOLA Architecture + Planning “Seattle Fire Station No. 5, Landmark Nomination,” March 2013. Women’s University Club, Landmark Nomination Addendum, February 2008. City of Seattle. Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Library, permit records and drawings. Department of Neighborhoods, Historic Property Inventory forms (survey search under architects,
“Durham”) DocomomoWeWa website, “Architects, Durham, Robert L.” http://www.docomomo-
wewa.org/architects_detail.php?id=23 Hancock, Marga Rose, “Robert L. Durham FAIA, AIA Seattle Medalist 1985.” Seattle AIA. Krafft, Katheryn H. and Alison LaFever. "Women's University Club." City of Seattle Landmark
Nomination, March 2007. Mercer Island Reporter, “Christian Church sells to neighboring Jewish congregation,” November 12,
2014, http://www.mi-reporter.com/news/282297201.html Michelson, Alan, Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD), University of Washington Special
Collections, https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/architects/1947/ Rash, David A, “Architects and Suburban Housing after World War II,” in Jeffrey Ochsner, Jeffery Karl,
editor, Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2014, p. 311-312 (See also Durham and Durham Anderson Freed citations, p. 434-435, 455, and 456).
Seattle Post Intelligencer: “Architects Elect Durham.” July 4, 1954. “The Education They Got the Hard Way…Paid Off.” December 2, 1958. “New Library Awarded for West Seattle.” April 7, 1960. “New Seattle Public Library Branch Planned.” April 17, 1960. Seattle Times: “What’s Ahead in Home Design…” February 17, 1953. “Durham Named Arts Chairman for ’61 Fair.” May 18, 1958. “Architects for library unit named.” February 10, 1959. “New Library awarded for West Seattle, Site and Architect Selected.” April 7, 1960. “Architecture Group Elects Seattle Man.” April 20, 1961. “Beautification Isn’t Idle Word.” July 17, 1961. “Eight Win Architectural Awards.” December 8, 1961. “W.U.C. to Open New Addition.” July 15, 1962. “Award Winner.” January 28, 1964. “Seattle-Area Libraries Win Awards.” April 5, 1964. “Architects Elect Durham Vice President.” June 15, 1965.
Robert L. Durham, Architect Biography Susan Boyle, BOLA Architecture + Planning February 16, 2015, page 11
“Expert Raps Planners Over Urban Problems.” April 23, 1967. “Durham Will Take Architectural Post.” May 14, 1967. “Richard V. ‘Dick’ Peterson” (obituary), December 26, 2010. Steinbrueck, Victor. Seattle Architecture 1890-1953. New York: Reinhold Publishing, 1953. Steinbrueck, Victor. Seattle Cityscapes. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1962. University District Herald. “New Architect - Builder Approach Can Lower Costs on Housing Projects.”
June 6, 1953. Thiry, Paul and R. Bennett and H. Kamphoefner, Churches and Temples, 1953. University of Washington Special Collections: Durham Anderson Freed Collection, Coll. No. 69,
Architecture Drawing Collection Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. "Nifty From the Last 50
Initiative." www.dahp.wa.gov/pages/HistoricSites/NiftyfromtheLast50_000.htm West Seattle Herald. “National Honors Here.” April 8, 1964. Women's University Club Scrapbooks and architectural drawings. IMAGES
Above, a photograph of Robert Durham from his application to the Washington State Department of Licensing (DocomomoWeWa website).
Robert L. Durham, Architect Biography Susan Boyle, BOLA Architecture + Planning February 16, 2015, page 12
Left, the 1952 Fauntleroy Congregational Church/United Church of Christ in West Seattle. This Durham-designed building is a designated City of Seattle landmark. This view shows the primary facades in ca. 1990 (City of Seattle Dept. of Neighborhoods, Historic Preservation Division). Left, a ca. 2000 view of the church sanctuary, which features glu-laminated wood arches and a window wall at the end of the nave (UCC website photograph). Below left, Congregational Ezra Bessaroth Synagogue in Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood, 1969 (DAPH Photograph, from the DocomomoWeWea website). Below left, St. Elizabeth’s Church, 1956 Burien (University of Washington Special Collections)
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Above and left, two views of St. John's Lutheran Church, Seattle, which dates from 1954-1956 (top photo, BOLA Architecture + Planning, February 2008; middle photo, faithstreet.com, http://www.faithstreet.com/church/st-john-united-lutheran-church-seattle-wa). Below, St. James Presbyterian Church, Bellingham from ca. 1964. By this date, Durham’s career appears to have been focused largely on religious buildings and his growing practice (Photo courtesy St. James Presbyterian Church, February 2008).
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View looking southwest at the primary east facade of the 1962 Women’s University Club addition, designed by Robert Durham, in 2008. Durham was married to a club member at the time and may have been selected for the project due to this association. In addition, he had relevant experience in remodeling the interior of the Seattle YWCA in 1955 and 1960 (BOLA Architecture + Planning).
A view of Seattle Fire Station No. 5, looking west across Alaskan Way at the primary east facade in ca. 1970, when the northern portion of the first floor area was open. The original design expressed authentic material qualities of its concrete frame and infill, and the pre-cast roof structure. The orignal door was a single, horizontal element with 50 individual glazed units (Last Resort Fire Department, both images).
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Robert Durham’s firm, Durham Anderson Freed, began taking on larger commercial and institutional projects by the mid-1960s. Left, a view of the west façade of the 1965 Association of General Contractors (AGC) Building, a concrete-frame office building on the west side of Lake Union, Seattle. (BOLA Architecture + Planning, February 2008) Left, a view of the main entry at the Brutalist style Evergreen State College Library, Olympia. The waffle-slab and board-formed concrete are expressive components of the building’s structure (Photo by John Huey, from TESC website). Left, two views of Horizon House, on the west edge of Seattle’s First Hill, which dates from 1971. After his retirement, Durham and his wife lived in a two-bedroom apartment in this concrete-frame building, which overlooks Freeway Park. (BOLA Architecture + Planning, February 2008)
