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Albert Bumgardner
A black and white picture of Albert Bumgardner at his desk
Born
Albert Orin Bumgardner

(1921-01-03)January 3, 1921
Springfield, Illinois, United States
DiedJuly 10, 1987(1987-07-10) (aged 66)
Seattle, Washington, United States
Alma materUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
OccupationArchitect
Years active1950s–1980s

Albert Orin Bumgardner (January 3, 1921 – July 10, 1987) was an American architect. Born in Springfield, Illinois, he attended the Illinois State University in Normal before serving in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. After the war, he studied architecture at the University of Illinois, where he graduated in 1949. He moved to Seattle, where he worked at various firms before beginning his own practice in early 1953. He gained acclaim from architecture press and the American Institute of Architects for a number of house designs. His firm, Bumgardner Partnership, gained further notability following their office design for the periodical Pacific Architect & Builder; this led to institutional contracts that saw Bumgardner lead design projects at Evergreen State College and the University of Washington. He oversaw designs for a number of projects along the Seattle Waterfront during the 1970s and 1980s, including Waterfront Park and the Watermark Tower.

Early life and education

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On January 3, 1921, Albert Orin Bumgardner was born in Springfield, Illinois to Alfred Orin Bumgardner, a mechanic, and his second wife, Florence Lonas.[1][2] He grew up in Chatham, Illinois, and attended the Illinois State University in Normal from 1941 to 1943. He served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. Through the Army Specialized Training Program, he trained at a station in Louisiana before studying engineering at the City College of New York for 1943–1944. In 1946, following the end of the war, he returned to school at the University of Illinois, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1949.[2][3][4]

Career

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After graduating, Bumgardner moved to Seattle, where he briefly worked for the Army Corps of Engineers before he was hired as a draftsman and specifications writer for architect Ralph Burkhard.[1][5] In 1952, he left Burkhard's employment and briefly worked at various firms before beginning his own independent practice in January 1953. He briefly partnered with Gene Zema in the mid-1950s.[2] His practice initially worked out of a home office at his residence on East Broadway, where he was joined in 1957 by two employees, both graduates from the University of Washington. One of them, Peter Parsons, became a full partner of Bumgardner's firm, and its name was changed to Bumgardner Partnership.[5]

Bumgardner's early designs for private residences in Seattle received acclaim, with his Thomas Graham House (1956), Wallace Reed House (1959), and Chester Bartholomew House (1960) all winning the Seattle American Institute of Architects's Home of the Year award. In 1958, he was hired as an architectural advisor for the Pacific Architect & Builder periodical, accompanied by a showcase of the Graham House. His work was featured frequently in subsequent issues of the Architect & Builder, as well as in the magazine Sunset.[5]

In 1960, Bumgardner was commissioned to design a new office for the Architect & Builder in Eastlake, Seattle.[5] This design was widely publicized into architectural press, and resulted in a number of higher-profile commissions for his firm, especially with educational institutions.[5] He designed the student residence halls and Seminar Building of the Evergreen State College in 1971–1972, the Port Ludlow Beach Club in 1972, and the South Campus Center of the University of Washington in 1974. His firm, renamed Bumgardner Architects in 1980, hired a number of prominent local architects, including David H. Fukui and Jennie Sue Brown. During the 1970s and 1980s, he oversaw a number of mixed-use developments near the Seattle Waterfront, including Waterfront Park (built 1974), Market Place North (built 1979–1982), Waterfront Place (1979–1984), the Watermark Tower (1983), and the conversion of the Globe Building into the Alexis Hotel (1982).[2][5][6]

Civic work and death

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Bumgardner was a member of the American Institute of Architects from 1954 until his death.[1] He was the treasurer of the organization's Seattle chapter in 1956 and 1957, and served as chapter president from 1962 to 1963. He was elected as an AIA Fellow in 1971. He became involved with a number of local planning boards and organizations; he was the chairman of Seattle's Joint Commission of the Planning Commission and the Commission on Historic Zoning during the early 1970s, and helped to draft legislation to create the Pioneer Square Historic District. Mayor Wesley C. Uhlman named him to head the first Seattle Design Commission. He was a member of the Allied Arts of Seattle.[2][5] Bumgardner died in Seattle on July 10, 1987.[2][5]

Works

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Designs by Albert Bumgardner
Name Location Date Ref.
Thomas J. Graham House Seattle 1952–1954 [2]
Wallace Reed House Seattle 1959 [5]
Allison Apartments Seattle 1959 [2]
Chester Bartholomew House Seattle 1959 [2]
Pacific Architect & Builder Offices Eastlake, Seattle 1960 [5]
House 4429 Forest Avenue SE, Mercer Island 1960 [7]
House 3019 60th Avenue SE, Mercer Island 1963 [7]
Applied Physics Lab (remodel) University of Washington, Seattle 1964 [8]
House 8846 Overlake Drive E, Medina 1966 [9]
House (addition) 3009 60th Avenue SE, Mercer Island 1968 [10]
House 9428 SE 54th Street, Mercer Island 1968 [11]
Arts Addition Western Washington University, Bellingham 1968 [12]
Residence Halls Evergreen State College, Olympia 1971–1972 [13]
South Campus Center University of Washington, Seattle 1971–1974 [2]
Seminar Building Evergreen State College, Olympia 1972 [13]
Port Ludlow Beach Club Port Ludlow 1972 [14]
Tulalip Community Center Tulalip Indian Reservation 1974 [15]
Waterfront Park Seattle 1974 [6]
Summit Tower Apartments 766 Belmont Avenue E, Seattle 1974 [16]
Theime House 1500 Eastshore Drive, Whidbey Island 1975 [17]
Market Place North Seattle 1978–1982 [2]
Waterfront Place Seattle 1979–1984 [2]
Globe Building (remodel) Seattle 1982 [5]
Watermark Tower Seattle 1983 [5]
Queen Anne High School (renovation) Queen Anne, Seattle 1986 [4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c PCAD.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ochsner 2014, p. 425.
  3. ^ Bumgardner 1986, 4:00–7:00.
  4. ^ a b Landmarks Preservation Board 2017, pp. 14–15.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Houser.
  6. ^ a b Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 133.
  7. ^ a b Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 235.
  8. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 222.
  9. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 244.
  10. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 233.
  11. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 236.
  12. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 333.
  13. ^ a b Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 292.
  14. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 295.
  15. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 311.
  16. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 161.
  17. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 313.

Bibliography

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  • Bumgardner, Albert (September 30, 1986). "Interview with Albert Bumgardner" (Interview). Interviewed by David Hewitt. Seattle Public Library. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  • Report on Designation: Pacific Architect & Builder Building (PDF) (Report). City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board. 2017.
  • Houser, Michael C. "Bumgardner, Albert O." Docomomo Western Washington. Docomomo. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  • Michelson, Alan (2005–2024). "Albert Orin Bumgardner". Pacific Coast Architecture Database. University of Washington. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  • Ochsner, Jeffery Karl (2014). Ochsner, Jeffery Karl (ed.). Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects (2nd ed.). Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295806891. JSTOR j.ctvcwnd1m.
  • Woodbridge, Sally B.; Montgomery, Roger (1980). A Guide to Architecture in Washington State. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295957791.
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