Wendell Harper Lovett (April 2, 1922 - September 18, 2016) was a

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

. Born and raised in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

, Lovett entered the University of Washington program in architecture in 1940, but his college years were interrupted by wartime service. He graduated from the University of Washington with a

B.Arch The Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) is a bachelor's degree designed to satisfy the academic requirement of practising architecture around the world. Australia Architectural education in Australia varies depending on the university offering th ...

in 1947. While at Washington he was significantly influenced by Professor

Lionel Pries Lionel H. ("Spike") Pries (June 1, 1897 – April 7, 1968), was a leading architect, artist, and educator in the Pacific Northwest. Early life and education Lionel Pries was born in San Francisco and raised in Oakland. His father work ...

. Lovett attended

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

for one year, studying under Alvar Aalto and receiving his M.Arch. in June 1948. He returned to Seattle and after a brief apprenticeship, opened his own practice. Lovett joined the University of Washington architecture faculty in 1948, as an instructor. He served as an assistant professor, 1951–60; associate professor, 1960–65; and professor, 1965-1984; although he retired in 1984, he continued to teach until about 1990. Lovett was a guest professor at the Technical University in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1959-60. He was a professor emeritus from 1984 until his death. Lovett was the designer of many significant Pacific Northwest houses. Most important is the house he designed for

Charles Simonyi Charles Simonyi (; hu, Simonyi Károly, ; born September 10, 1948) is a Hungarian-American software architect. He started and led Microsoft's applications group, where he built the first versions of Microsoft Office. He co-founded and led Int ...

, in

Medina, Washington Medina () is a mostly residential city in Eastside, King County, Washington, United States. The city is on a peninsula in Lake Washington, on the opposite shore from Seattle, bordered by Clyde Hill and Hunts Point to the east and water on a ...

. Begun in 1987, the house has been expanded twice to Lovett's design. The house not only serves as a residence, but is also designed for display of Simonyi's collection of paintings by

Victor Vasarely Victor Vasarely (; born Győző Vásárhelyi, ; 9 April 1906 – 15 March 1997) was a Hungarian-French artist, who is widely accepted as a "grandfather" and leader of the Op art movement. His work entitled ''Zebra'', created in 1937, is consid ...

and Roy Lichtenstein. Lovett was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

in 1985. He received the AIA Seattle Chapter Medal in 1993.

References

* Hildebrand, Grant, and Booth, T. William, ''The Houses of Wendell Lovett & Arne Bystrom'',

University of Washington Press The University of Washington Press is an American academic publishing house. The organization is a division of the University of Washington, based in Seattle. Although the division functions autonomously, they have worked to assist the universi ...

, Seattle and London 2004

External links

Photographs of Wendell Lovett's works from the Phyllis and Robert Massar Photograph Collection of Pacific Northwest Architecture
- University of Washington Digital Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Lovett, Wendell 1922 births American architects Fellows of the American Institute of Architects MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni Modernist architects Architects from Seattle University of Washington College of Built Environments alumni University of Washington faculty 2016 deaths American military personnel of World War II