Wilbur F. Boothby 1840-1946
Wilbur Boothby was prominent in Salem as a merchant, contractor and supervising architect for nearly fifty years. He prepared plans for the 1878 house of newspaper publisher and banker Asahel Bush. Located in Bushs’ Pasture Park it is now an historical museum and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1872 Boothby took the contract to build the Marion County Courthouse which was later demolished. In 1880 Boothby oversaw the construction of the State’s Insane Asylum Building located in Salem. He served as supervising architect and superintendent of construction of what is now known as the “J” Building. He was also involved in the construction of the old State Capitol and the State Penitentiary.

Walter David Pugh 1863-1946
Walter Pugh was an architect in Portland and in Salem. As State Architect under Governor Sylvester Pennoyer, Pugh designed buildings on the campuses of such state institutions as the State Hospital, Penitentiary, Fairview Home and Oregon Agriculture College ( now Oregon State University). He also supervised construction of the dome of the old state capitol. Among prominent buildings he designed in Salem were the Bush-Breyman and Bush-Brey Blocks (1889) on Commercial Street, the first Salem High School (1893,) Old City Hall(1893) and the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill(1896.) He also designed buildings at Chemawa Indian School and was the architect of the Shelton-McMurphy House (1888) in Eugene; Whitespires Presbyterian Church(1891,) Albany: and the Crook County Courthouse(1909) in Prineville.

Edgar M. Lazarus 1868-1939
Edgar Lazarus was a prominent architect in Portland for more than 45 years. He is credited with many important works in his long career. In his early years he designed many houses for prominent people, especially among Portland’s Jewish community. His house designs were mostly in the shingle style and they generally had a unique appearance which seemed to be Lazarus’ own trademark. Their roofs had an extremely steep pitch and unusual shapes.
Perhaps his most important work was the Vista House at Crown Point on the Columbia River Highway. Completed in1918 it was designed in the German version of the Art Nouveau style and shows great sensitivity to the site. It has become one of Oregon’s most important monuments and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Other public works by Lazarus include Apperson Hall at Oregon Agricultural College (1898-99) Corvallis; Morrow County Courthouse(1903,) Heppner; Ahvai Shalom Synagogue in Portland (1904); Clatsop County Courthouse in Astoria (1904-07;) and the Oregon State Hospital Receiving Ward (Dome Building, 1912.) Lazarus also designed early alterations to the Pioneer Courthouse in Portland and was the resident architect for the U.S. Customs House in Portland. He designed the first Multnomah Athletic Club Building at S.W. 10th and Yamhill Streets.
After the completion of the Vista House, Lazarus engaged in a long bitter dispute with the Oregon Board of Control concerning his fees for the Vista House and the Oregon State Hospital’s Dome Building. These disputes brought him much unfavorable publicity in the press which must have hurt his practice. He performed little work of importance after this unfortunate conflict.

William Christmas Knighton 1864-1977
William Knighton was a prominent Portland architect for 35 years. In 1913 he was appointed Oregon’s first State Architect, a position he held until 1917. His best known building is the State Supreme Court Building (1913.) In 1919, when licensing of architects commenced in Oregon, Knighton received license No. 2 under the grandfather clause. He was a member of the Oregon State Board of Architect Examiners from 1919 to 1923, serving as its first president.
While associated with C.S. McNally, Knighton was involved in the design of the Capitol Bank Building in Salem(1893,) and the Dr L.A. Port residence (Deepwood, 1894) also in Salem. In Portland, Knighton designed a number of homes in the Craftsman style. He also designed the Seward Hotel (1908,) which is now The Governor Hotel.
As State Architect, Knighton supervised the construction and remodeling of more than 90 buildings throughout the State. Included in that inventory was the Rehabilitation Center (1935) at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem.

Lyle Pascoe Bartholomew 1896-1978
After graduating from Willamette University and the University of Oregon School of Architecture, Lyle Bartholomew established his practice in Salem for nearly 50 years. Among his works was the Capitol Journal Building (1934), The Nurses Dormitory at the Oregon State Hospital (Yaquina Hall, 1946), and Beth Shalom Synagogue, Salem.

Albert Sutton 1867-1923
Albert Sutton was the senior member of the Sutton & Whitney Firm which produced some of the most outstanding designs in the Northwest during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Included in their collection was the Annie Wright School, The College of Puget Sound, and the Rust Building, all in Tacoma. Later when Aandahl joined the firm, their projects in Portland included the J.K. Gill Building (1923,) The Shrine Hospital (1923,) the Masonic Temple(1927,) The Good Samaritan Nurses Dormitory (1936,) the Parish House Addition to Trinity Church(1939) and McKenzie Hall on the Oregon State Hospital campus(1948.) Many of the above projects were in the Neo-Georgian and Art Deco styles but several showed Scandinavian Modern influence.

Frank H. Struble

Frank H. Struble practiced in Salem for many years. He designed Santiam Hall (1951) on the North Campus of the Oregon State Hospital. The contractors were Viesko and Post. Frank Struble died in 1970.

Pietro Belluschi 1899-1994

Pietro Belluschi was one of Oregon’s leading architects from the 1930’s until his death in 1994. His early Portland houses and churches are elegantly simple and quietly restrained structures with a modest sensibility.
They are sensitive to the climate and landscape of the region and led to his becoming the leader in the development of the Northwest Regional style.
In 1925 he became one of the principal designers in the Albert E. Doyle Firm. He was involved in the designs of the Pacific Building, The Corbett Residence, and the lobby of the Public Service Building, all located in Portland. In 1931 Belluschi received his first major commission in the Doyle office, The Portland Art Museum (1931-32, 1937-38) It was his first design to draw national attention, receiving praise for its modern simplicity and decidedly non-classical design.
His innovative aluminum-clad Equitable Building (now known as the Commonwealth Building,) built in Portland in 1945-48, has been hailed nationally as the first curtain-wall office tower to be built in the U.S. after World War ll. It was the first building to be sheathed in aluminum, the first to employ double-glazed window panels, and the first to be completely sealed and air-conditioned.
Using simple means within modest budgets, Belluschi became respected and sought after for the design of churches. He designed churches for many denominations and each design paid close attention to the specific spiritual needs required by the clergy, building committees, and congregations for whom he worked. Northwest regional characteristics and slightly Japanese influenced architectural elements began appearing in Belluschi’s Oregon churches Including the following in Portland: St Thomas More Catholic Church (1939-40), Zion Lutheran Church, a National Register Property(1947-50), Central Lutheran Church(19 48-50,) St Philip Neri (1946-52,) and First Presbyterian Church in Cottage Grove(1948-51.) He also designed Breitenbush Hall (1948) on the campus of The Oregon State Hospital. Other significant designs in Oregon include the Oregonian Building (1945-48,) Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company Building (1947) Portland, and the Federal Reserve Bank(1948-49) and the Marion County Courthouse (1950-54) in Salem.
From 1951 to 1965 he was Dean of Architecture and Urban Planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He retired from MIT in 1965 and returned to Portland permanently in 1973 where he continued to practice independently and in association with local and national architectural firms.
Some of the latter included The Julliard School Of Music and Alice Tully Hall(1956,) Pan American Building (1963-73,) Saint Joseph’s Church(1964-68,) Roseburg, Oregon; Meyerhoff Symphony Hall(1972-1982) Baltimore, Maryland; Kerr McGee Building(1966-69); and the Bank of America Building(1964-69) in San Francisco.
He also served on many advisory committees, design review boards and juries. In 1972 he was awarded the American Institute of Architects highest honor-the Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement. In 1991 he received the National Medal of Arts by President George H W Bush in a White House ceremony.
During his later years in Portland, Belluschi designed six churches in Oregon in close association with Joachim Grube (Yost Grube Hall Architecture) Other works designed when he was in his 80’s include Papworth House (1978-80) and Packard House(1986-88) both in Portland and the George Fox Bell Tower(1990) in Newberg, Oregon. Other late projects on which he consulted include the World Bank and Pentagon City, Arlington, Virginia and the Parliament Building in Seoul, Korea.

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