Northwest Regional style

A Northwest Regional style house in the Matthews Beach neighborhood of Seattle.

Northwest Regional style architecture is an architectural style popular in the Pacific Northwest between 1935 and 1960.[1] It is a regional variant of the International style.[1] It is defined by the extensive use of unpainted wood in both interiors and exteriors.[1] Other features of the style include integration of the building with its setting through asymmetrical floor plans, exterior open rooms, extensive use of glass extending to the floor, a low-pitched or flat roof of shingles with overhanging eaves, and a minimum of decoration.[1] It is sometimes known as Northwest style or Northwest modernism.[2]: xii 

The International Style of the West Coast traveled north and influenced architects.[3] The terrain of the Northwest impacted the Modern style with architects making the conscious decision to preserve site elements like: Mountains, views of water, and paths of light.[3] The defining characteristic of the wooden exterior and interiors came from the terrain of the Northwest too, with the abundance of tree species like redwood, douglas fir, and western red cedar.[4] This allowed for a warmer modern architectural style, separating it from the stucco and concrete structures of California.[3] The style was developed by architects including Paul Thiry in Seattle[5] and John Yeon in Oregon, and was used most often in residential buildings.[1][6] Other proponents of the style included Paul Hayden Kirk,[7] Benjamin F. McAdoo, Pietro Belluschi, John Storrs, Van Evera Bailey, Herman Brookman, and Saul Zaik.[6][8]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Glossary of Architectural Terms". Oregon Historical Society. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hildebrand was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Barnes, Anthony (2023-06-26). "Learning with Lutyens: Noel Bamford and the Design of Ngahere, Auckland (1907)". Proceedings of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand. Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians Australia and New Zealand. 39. SAHANZ. doi:10.55939/a5014ps6dt. ISBN 978-0-646-88028-0.
  4. ^ Seewang, Laila (2021-05-04). "From Forest to Frame: Representation and Exception in the Regional Modernism of the Pacific Northwest". Architectural Theory Review. 25 (1–2): 7–27. doi:10.1080/13264826.2021.1986083. ISSN 1326-4826. S2CID 239506775.
  5. ^ Clausen, Meredith L. (1998). "Paul Thiry". In Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl (ed.). Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. pp. 246–251. ISBN 0295973668.
  6. ^ a b "International Style, Northwest Style, Cryptic Style: 1940-Present: International Style, Northwest Regional Style". Oregon Historical Society. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  7. ^ Rash, David A. (1998). "Paul Hayden Kirk". In Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl (ed.). Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. pp. 252–257. ISBN 0295973668.
  8. ^ Schwartz, Todd (Spring 2010). "The Arc of the Architect". Oregon Quarterly.