George W. Stoddard

George W. Stoddard
A photograph of Stoddard at his desk in front of a blueprint, gesturing with a pipe.
Born
George Wellington Stoddard

(1895-09-30)September 30, 1895
Detroit, Michigan, United States
DiedSeptember 28, 1967(1967-09-28) (aged 71)
Seattle, Washington, United States
OccupationArchitect
Years active1920–1960
Style

George Wellington Stoddard (September 30, 1895 – September 28, 1967) was an American architect. Born in Detroit, he graduated from the University of Illinois shortly before being drafted into the American Expeditionary Forces in 1917. Upon his return to the United States, he traveled to Seattle and founded the architecture and construction firm Stoddard and Son with his father. After building a variety of residential and commercial structures together, his father died in 1929, and Stoddard continued private practice under his own name. During his early career he mainly designed buildings according to the popular Moderne architectural style, but shifted towards a more experimental Modernist approach, especially after World War II.

In 1939, he was censured and temporarily suspended by the American Institute of Architects for violating AIA guidelines against advertisement due to a showcase of his work published in an architecture magazine. The same year, he partnered with a group of prominent local architects to design Yesler Terrace, the first major public housing development in Seattle. He carried out a large number of commissions in the late 1940s and 1950s, including schools and bank branches, alongside structures such as the Green Lake Aqua Theater and Memorial Stadium.