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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Ibsen Nelsen
Ibsen Andreas Nelsen (October 2, 1919 – July 19, 2001) was an American architect and urban planner active in the Pacific Northwest. He was born to a Danish immigrant family in Ruskin, Nebraska, which fled west during the Dust Bowl and settled in Medford, Oregon. After serving in the Pacific during World War II, he received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon in 1951. He moved to Seattle, where after working for several smaller firms he began his own practice in 1953. He partnered with Russell Sabin shortly afterwards, with Gordon Bennett Varey joining the firm in 1961 to form Nelsen, Sabin, & Varey. With the firm, Nelsen designed projects such as the home of painter Morris Graves in Loleta, California.

Nelsen left to form his own practice in 1967, where he designed the Museum of Flight and a series of academic facilities for Western Washington University. He frequently incorporated art and sculpture into his designs, and worked in a variety of architectural styles. In addition to his architectural work, he worked as an urban planner and historical preservationist. He helped to found the Seattle Design Commission and the Municipal Arts Commission of Seattle, and worked to protect and revitalize Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square.

Early life

On October 2, 1919, Ibsen Andreas Nelsen was born in Ruskin, Nebraska, to a family of Danish immigrants. At twelve, he began learning carpentry and cabinetry while working for his father Julius Nelsen, the owner of a construction firm. During the Dust Bowl, his family fled the plains to settle in Medford, Oregon. There, Nelsen attended high school. He joined the Army following the United States' entry into World War II and was deployed to the southwest Pacific Theater, seeing combat as an infantryman in New Guinea. He was promoted to the rank of captain, and received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his actions during the war.

Architecture career

Following the war, Nelsen attended the University of Oregon with the support of the G.I. Bill provisions. He graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1951, and moved to Seattle, Washington, where he was briefly employed as a draftsman by the firm Naramore, Bain, Brady & Johanson. Later that year, he transferred to Morrison–Knudsen, where he worked as a designer until leaving the company in 1952. He opened his own architectural practice in the University District the following year, shortly afterwards partnering with Russell Sabin to form the firm Nelsen & Sabin. Together, they designed the Regrade Investors Building in Seattle and a Latter Day Saints chapel in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. In 1961, they designed the Benjamin Weeks House in Seattle, Washington, for which they earned an Honor Award from the Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Gordon Bennett Varey joined the firm in 1961, leading to its rebranding as Nelsen, Sabin, & Varey. From 1956 to 1965, Nelsen taught as an assistant professor at the University of Washington.

He worked to protect Pike Place Market from a proposed redevelopment in the 1960s. During the 1980s, he worked closely with Fred Bassetti and George Bartholick on restoration work for the market and Pioneer Square.

He designed commissions such as alterations to the University of Washington's Playhouse Theatre and the lakeside residence of painter Morris Graves in Loleta, California; the latter was described by the San Francisco Chronicle as his most significant house. In 1967, he left Nelsen, Sabin, & Varey to begin a new private practice named Ibsen Nelsen & Associates. He embarked on a series of major commissions for Western Washington University in Bellingham, designing five campus buildings between 1968 and 1981. The Environmental Studies Center, his last design for the campus, was the first environmental sciences facility in the United States, and won an AIA Honor Award. He began work on the Museum of Flight in 1975, which he would continue until 1987.

From 1986 to 1990, Nelsen built his own home on Vashon Island, which he dubbed Island Farm, with a design inspired by traditional Danish farmhouses.

Style

Nelsen prioritized practical and inexpensive housing. Architect Arthur Skolnik described him as not favoring any specific architectural style, adopting different approaches depending on the client. He frequently integrated art and sculpture into his work, including ceramics and sculpture by his sons Eric and Hans. He helped sculptor Isamu Noguchi receive commissions in the northwest, including for Sky Viewing Sculpture at Western Washington University.

Personal life

Nelsen married Ruth Hanawalt, originally from Puyallup, Washington, in 1946; they met while Nelsen served at Fort Lewis. They had four children. Nelsen was active in historic preservation, urban renewal, and art conservation campaigns. He helped to found the Seattle Design Commission, created as part of the Forward Thrust campaign, and the Municipal Arts Commission of Seattle. He served as the president of the arts commission from 1967 to 1968. He was a member of the Allied Arts of Seattle, serving as its president in 1969–1970. He was also a long-time member of the AIA; shortly after joining the institute in 1960, he served as the Seattle chapter's vice president from 1960 to 1961. He received an AIA Fellowship in 1981, and the AIA Seattle Medal in 1989.

During the 1970s, Nelsen organized a social club dubbed the "Chowder Society", which met at his home to discuss Seattle urban development. Members of the society included the future mayor Paul Schell and journalists Emmett Watson and David Brewster. He died on Vashon Island of complications from prostate cancer on July 19, 2001. His collected papers are held at Western Washington University.

Works

Designs by Ibsen Nelsen
Name Location Date Ref
House 11509 32nd Avenue NE, Seattle, Washington 1954
Prudential Insurance Company of America Seattle, Washington 1956
Boy Scouts of American Headquarters Building 3120 Rainier Avenue S, Seattle, Washington 1959
House 6105 SE 32nd St., Mercer Island, Washington 1959
Renegade Investors Building Seattle, Washington 1959–1960
House 3011 Webster Point NE, Seattle, Washington 1960
Alderwood Ward Chapel Mountlake Terrace, Washington 1960–1961
House 3201 W Laurelhurst Drive NE, Seattle, Washington 1961
Robert Minto House 2603 NE 86th St., Seattle, Washington 1961
Benjamin Weeks House University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 1961
House 760 Overlake Drive W, Medina, Washington 1962
House 3827 E Crocket St., Seattle, Washington 1964
Morris Graves House Loleta, California 1965–1967
Hughes Playhouse Theatre (remodel) University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 1966
Campus Christian Ministry 3525 19th Avenue SE, Seattle, Washington 1967
Miller Hall Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 1967–1968
Bond Hall Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 1967–1968
Artnzen Hall Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 1972
Social Science Building Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 1974
A. E. Doyle Building (interior remodel) Seattle, Washington 1973
Guthrie Hall 3921 West Stevens Way NE, Seattle, Washington 1973
Washington Governor's Mansion (interior remodel) Olympia, Washington 1974
Inn at the Market Seattle, Washington 1975–1982
Stewart House Seattle, Washington 1975–1982
Museum of Flight Tukwila, Washington 1975–1987
University of Washington Academic Computer Center University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 1976–1977
Northwest Environmental Studies Center Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 1981
Merrill Court Townhouses Seattle, Washington 1981–1986
Roanoke Reef Townhouses Seattle, Washington 1984–1986
Island Farm (Ibsen Nelsen House) Vashon Island, Washington 1986–1990

References

  1. ^ Houser 2007.
  2. ^ Vinlaun & Farr 2001.
  3. ^ Roberts 2001.
  4. ^ Ochsner & Rash 2014, p. 464.
  5. ^ Temko 2001.
  6. ^ PCAD.
  7. ^ Felber 2019.
  8. ^ Skolnik 2001.
  9. ^ Archives West.
  10. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 186.
  11. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 235.
  12. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 224.
  13. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 223.
  14. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 244.
  15. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 173.
  16. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 221.
  17. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 211.
  18. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 56.
  19. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 286.

Bibliography

  • "Ibsen A. (Ibsen Andreas Nelsen) Nelsen Papers, 1930–2001". Archives West. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  • Felber, Lynette (January 15, 2019). "Environmental Studies Center". SAH Archipedia. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  • Houser, Michael (2007). "Ibsen A. Nelsen". Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  • Ochsner, Jeffery Karl; Rash, David A. (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.
  • Michelson, Alan. "Ibsen Andreas Nelsen". Pacific Coast Architecture Database. University of Washington. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  • Roberts, Gregory (August 5, 2001). "Architect Ibsen Nelsen, Who Loved Seattle, Dies". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  • Skolnik, Arthur (July 26, 2001). "Ibsen Nelsen (1919–2001): A Remembrance by Arthur M. Skolnik". HistoryLink. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  • Temko, Allan (July 28, 2001). "Ibsen Nelsen, Architect, Preservationist, 81". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  • Vinlaun, Frank; Farr, Sheila (July 21, 2001). "Architect who Created Museum of Flight Dies". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  • Woodbridge, Sally B.; Montgomery, Roger (1980). A Guide to Architecture in Washington State. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295957791.
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