FIELD SESSIONS
Tuesady, October 10 & Wednesday, October 11, 2023
FS 1
Culture and Resilience in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District
Tuesday, October 10 - FULL DAY | 8:00am-5:00pm
Credits: 6
Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID) is a rich and vibrant multicultural neighborhood with a complex history. It is distinctive for its cultural placemaking and cohesion of residents and businesses with a common vision of protecting and supporting the neighborhood. This tour includes multiple stops that highlight the neighborhood’s long history of historic preservation through its vibrancy, culture, challenges to maintain affordable housing, and seismic retrofits. Participants will learn about development pressures past and present such as the construction of I-5, stadiums, and mass transit. Stops include the National Historic Landmark Panama Hotel, as well as several former hotels now with affordable housing and seismic retrofits. Discussions about how the neighborhood’s cultural institutions such as the Smithsonian-affiliated Wing Luke Museum have kept the district vibrant will also include stops such in Little Saigon and Japantown.
FS 2
Tour of the Washington State Capitol: Innovations in Stone and Wood
Tuesday, October 10 - FULL DAY | 8:00am-5:00pm
Credits: 6Shortly after Washington became a territory in 1853, a wood-frame Capitol building was constructed on the current Capitol Campus. In 1911, New York architects Walter Wilder and Harry White won a competition to design the state capitol. Their “Capitol Group” entailed five structures designed to appear as a single building from the Puget Sound. They were constructed over the next three decades: Temple of Justice (1912), Insurance Building (1921), Legislative Building (1928), Cherberg Building (1937), and O’Brien Building (1940). The Legislative Building is the tallest masonry dome in North America and measures 287 feet tall from the ground to the top of the cupola. The exterior sandstone came from quarries in Wilkeson, Wash. The granite steps and massive foundation pieces came from Index, Wash. Maxfield Keck of New York designed the building’s sculptural elements in sandstone, bronze and plaster, many of which were carved in place by master craftsmen. Tiffany Studios created many of the light fixtures. We will tour the Legislative building and meet with three architects who worked on three of the Campus buildings. They will share details of recent cleaning/repair campaigns they were involved with. We will also visit the mid-century modern Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Building (or Georgia Pacific Building), designed by NBBJ in 1952, which showcased its line of plywood products by creating interiors and exteriors featuring its line of decorative plywood veneers. Each office is decorated in a different kind of veneer with built-in cabinetry, identified by a plaque.
FS 4
The Space Needle and the Civic Architecture of the Seattle Center
Walking Tour Map
Tuesday, October 10 - FULL DAY | 8:00am-5:00pm
Credits: 6
The tour of the Seattle Center will include observations of recent holistic renovations on iconic civic architecture along with information on the history of the Seattle Center, 1962 World’s Fair and its architects and engineers. Local Historian Knute Berger will give an overview of the history of Seattle center. The first stop will be Seattle’s iconic Space Needle, where Olson Kundig Architects and GC Hoffman Construction Company, will discuss the 2017 renovation. Next Professor Tyler Sprague will discuss the engineering of the Pacific Science Center. We will then review the most recent rehabilitation of the Seattle Climate Pledge Arena, a midcentury structure rehabilitated into a net-zero certified stadium. The field session will end with a walking tour of less than 2 miles around the Seattle Center Campus.
FS 5
Industrial History and Preservation at the Georgetown Steam Plant
Tuesday, October 10 - HALF DAY | 8:00am-12:00pm
Credits: 3
This tour of the Georgetown Steam plant will offer attendees an excellent opportunity to experience this National Landmark while discussing the proposal for its coming preservation, stabilization, and rehabilitation project. Topics will include seismic retrofit strategies for concrete buildings, accessibility planning for industrial sites, and photogrammetric documentation of complex historic interiors.
Once at the center of the rapidly growing Georgetown neighborhood, the Georgetown Steam Plant was built by the Seattle Electric Company in 1906-1907 on 18 acres of land along the Duwamish River, supplying supplied the city with energy through the use of coal and oil until 1953. The plant's two vertical Curtis Turbines helped establish the steam turbine as capable of producing large amounts of power more cheaply and efficiently than other generators at the time. Both the equipment and building are listed as National Landmarks because of their high degree of integrity.
Our tour will be led by architects Mark Johnson of Signal and David Strauss of SHKS. Both of whom are working on the development of the proposal to improve accessibility, programming space for the building, and the seismic retrofit design of its concrete structure. Attendees should wear close toed shoes and expect stairs and uneven surfaces, as the project is still under development.
FS 6
Pike Place Market and the Restoration of the Seattle Waterfront
Tuesday, October 10 - HALF DAY | 8:00am-12:00pm
Credits: 3A guided walking tour featuring the restoration of the Elliott Bay Seawall, Fire Station 5, Waterfront Park, and Pike Place Market.
The tour will begin with a brief overview of the waterfront redevelopment efforts as we walk from the conference venue to the waterfront. This includes the demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the construction of the longest road tunnel in the country to replace such viaduct, and the various ongoing waterfront restoration efforts.
Once we arrive, we will then walk along the waterfront as representatives from each project explain in detail the scope, the challenges, and unique technical knowledge pertaining to their individual projects. Attendees will have the opportunity to look at the results of the projects that have been completed and look at the ongoing process of the projects currently under construction. We will end the tour at Pike Place Market, where a representative will give a project overview and attendees will get a chance to walk the market and purchase items before heading back to the hotel.
FS 7
Olmsted Parks: Preservation in the Crown Jewel of the Emerald City Greenbelt
Tuesday, October 10 - HALF DAY | 1:00pm-5:00pm
Credits: 3
In 1903, the Olmsted brothers (sons of Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., the father of American Landscape Architecture) were charged with designing a “greenbelt” throughout the city of Seattle. Within the heart of the greenbelt, and the City, lies Volunteer Park, which serves as one of the most well-preserved of the Olmsted Brothers parks within Seattle. Volunteer Park’s endearing charm and lasting design has enchanted visitors from all walks of life.
Within the park itself reside multiple human-made structures, two of the most outstanding being that of the Seattle Asian Art Museum, and the Conservatory. The Seattle Asian Art Museum was designed in the Arte Moderne style by Carl Gould, who was the head of the University of Washington School of Architecture, and opened in 1933. The Conservatory was built in 1912 and consists of a Victorian-style, iron and glass structure, which hosts five separate rooms with varied climates.
The field session at Volunteer Park will offer attendees insight into a variety of preservation techniques, including that of the landscapes as well as the structures on site. Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the decisions that went into the preservation methods used with the designers involved with the preservation projects. Topics will include historic landscape management and preservation, materials preservation and replacement, preservation design, as well as cultural preservation.
FS 8
On the Water: How Seattle's Waterways Shaped the Landscape and Fabric of the Emerald City
Tuesday, October 10 - HALF DAY | 1:00pm-5:00pm
Credits: 3
This tour invites enthusiasts passionate about Seattle’s relationship with waterways and the adaptive reuse of a unique waterfront structure. We will explore the unassuming 120,000 square foot wood-framed and clad Shell House which borders the University of Washington (UW) campus’ shoreline along Lake Washington. The Shell House was originally built by the U.S. Navy for a seaplane hangar in 1918 during World War I and later adapted to house the UW’s rowing program. Legendary shell builder George Pocock built world winning racing shells (rowing boats) within the structure including the Husky Clipper that the 1936 crew used to win gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Fundraising efforts are underway to preserve the Shell House. This tour will feature the restoration goals and programming ideas for future occupancy, historic preservation of its vernacular construction, and the rich stories which contribute to its significance.
We will also walk along the shoreline of the 1916 Lake Washington Ship Canal at the Montlake Cut to learn about how Seattle’s waters became waterways. The canal is the manifestation of a 62-year old idea to spur economic development of the Emerald City. We will discuss how manipulation of the shoreline inspired technological innovations, helped reduce flooding, its social impacts, and the environmental price.
Transportation and Logistics: The public train will be used to travel to the University of Washington. We’ll then walk 0.3 miles (approximately 6 minutes) to the Shell House. After presentations within the Shell House, the group will walk 0.2 miles (approximately 5 minutes) along the Montlake Cut to the Montlake Bridge. All paths are paved and generally gradual. This tour primarily involves standing; comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
FS 9
University of Washington Collegiate Gothic: Retrofit and Restoration
Tuesday, October 10 - HALF DAY | 1:00pm-5:00pm
Credits: 3After moving to its current campus in 1895, the University of Washington grew rapidly. The campus hosted the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, which featured an Olmsted Brothers plan that informed the subsequent campus layout. The campus expanded using the Collegiate Gothic style under early UW President Henry Suzzullo, with multiple buildings designed by architects Carl Gould and Charles Bebb, including the renowned 1915 Suzzullo Library building.
Adjacent to the library is the Liberal Arts Quadrangle, more popularly known as the Quad. It is often considered the school's trademark attraction thanks to the Collegiate Gothic architecture and the Yoshino cherry trees that line it.
The tour will look at many of the buildings which have undergone significant restorations and retrofits to provide greater safety in a seismic event, to accommodate the changing uses of the University, and to preserve and restore the historic materials from which they were constructed, which include terracotta, brick, sandstone, cast stone and leaded glass.
FS 10 - SOLD OUT
Pioneer Square: Material Preservation in a Socially and Culturally Diverse Setting
Wednesday, October 11 - HALF DAY | 8:00am-12:00pm
Credits: 3
Pioneer Square Preservation District is Seattle’s first historic district, created in 1970. The tour will explore the architectural evolution of the district across four significant periods in its history, highlighting the styles and materials associated with each era:
• The Great Fire of June 6, 1889 to 1899
• Time of explosive growth, 1900 to 1910
• Buildings associated with the war effort during World War I and/ or completed between 1911 and 1927
• Second Avenue Extension 1928-1931
The tour will also highlight limitations of historic buildings and the challenges architects faced in their projects. Topics covered will include seismic upgrades for unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings, facade up-gradation, material analysis, and overall building performance to achieve a more sustainable envelope.
Note: The Metropole building is an active construction site, not advisable for people with mobility issues. Closed shoes are recommended on this tour.
FS 11 - SOLD OUT
Seattle's Terra Cotta Buildings: Rehabilitation and Restoration Techniques and Strategies
Wednesday, October 11 - HALF DAY | 8:00am-12:00pm
Credits: 3
Following the Seattle Great Fire in 1889, builders turned to terra cotta as a popular means to meet fire resistance and striking ornamentation to its structures. As a result, Seattle’s neighborhoods boast a broad collection of terra cotta buildings of the early 20th century. Participants will walk through the Seattle downtown neighborhood to explore the city’s historic terracotta buildings in context to Seattle’s changing landscape. Narrated by local architects and preservationists, they will share their case studies of ongoing preservation techniques and observations to these buildings in efforts to preserve and restore these terra cotta structures. Highlights will include the famed walruses of the Arctic Building, the Cobb Buildings’ sculpted Native American ornamentation, rehabilitation at the Pacific Apartments, and Smith Tower, once the tallest building of the West Coast.
FS 12 - SOLD OUT
Conservation Works at Seattle’s Historic Theaters
Wednesday, October 11 - HALF DAY | 8:00am-12:00pm
Credits: 3
Seattle abounds with a diverse array of historic theaters dating from the turn of the 20th century to the futuristic 1960’s, most of which have undergone rehabilitation work at some point in their lives. This field session will give participants an overview of three of Seattle's most iconic theaters and the rehabilitation works that have preserved their historic integrity while allowing them to advance into the 21st century.
At each theater, the current owner will give a general tour of the theater and its history, and technical guest speakers will discuss past rehabilitation works including the conservation methodologies that were followed and the repair techniques that were used.
This field session should be considered by conservation architects, engineers and conservators, or those with a general interest in theaters, early-to-mid-20th century architecture or conservation work. This is an introductory session where no baseline knowledge is required.
