Sharp-eyed travelers who have time to kill at Tri-Cities Airport have long been bombarded with information about local locations.
For 2021 and early 2022, they had the opportunity to review something more substantial – the best examples of local architecture from Walla Walla to Columbia River Gorge, curated by members of AIA Central Washington.
“The range of projects on offer really speaks to the impact of the work that the architectural community provides,” said Brandon Willem, of Design West Architects and Head of Department.
“We help to visualize, visualize and build the communities in which we all live. Architecture seems to have been understated with the advent of so many 3D software and visualization tools. However, as you can see from the exhibit, these buildings evoke feelings and memories and help create a sense of belonging.” society when doing it right.”
The project was led by Jim Dillman, a retired Richland architect. It was a welcome opportunity to highlight the remarkable architecture and architects, who often go unnoticed in the lengthy building process.
The year-round show wraps up in January, but Dillman plans to take it on the road. The show has a compelling story to tell and once he escapes the secured confines of the airport terminal, he wants to display it in regional bookstores.
While visiting the airport to take pictures, he took measurements, and the architect always made drawings of the tires in a notebook and was concerned about finding hinges that would support the weight.
Dillmann, who had grown up in Westtrane near Prosser, and the jury which chose the buildings to be shown included a mixture of familiar landmarks and lesser-known buildings.
Familiar include the stunning Franklin County Courthouse and its classic dome, Richland Lutheran Church, fondly known as the “Cupcake Building” for its unique conical roof (designed by Funk, Murray, and Johnson of Spokane) and the Rich Museum near Richland Way (designed by Kennewick architect Terence L. Thornhill).
There are lesser-known buildings as well, many of which were chosen because they reflect Dillmann’s belief that building design should serve desert landscapes—his projects have spare lines and glossy surfaces.
“My position is about our place in the community, this is the northern tip of the Great American Desert. If you don’t have all these homes built by Midwesterners, you have Albuquerque or Los Angeles,” he said. “That’s what I wanted the community to be. For me, it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet.”
The modern house he built in 1980 is located on the slopes of Badger Mountain. The illustrious building can be seen from great distances, but it has one secret – a Chinese inscription of a horse carved into a pillar in honor of the Horse Heaven Hills.
The listing has also been held at Kennewick’s Eastgate by MMEC Architecture’s Eastgate Elementary, celebrating its fun exterior and the way designers have balanced the sheer size of the school, which serves hundreds of people. The Pasco Education Services Building in District 123, by Design West Architects, is another educational facility that has won an annotation advantage.
Great desert architecture is not limited to the three cities.
Designed by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture, the Maryhill Overlook near Maryhill Museum of Art along Highway 14 uses minimal structures, spare lines, and angled cutouts to draw attention to the sweeping desert landscape.
A nod to acclaimed architect Maya Lin, who gained national fame for designing the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. Her handicrafts are on display at Sacajawea State Park in Pasco, where Project Confluence invites visitors to reflect on the rich cultural history in a series of episodes in place that joins In it the Snake River to Colombia.
The tour is booked geographically with two academic projects, one in Ellensburg and one in Walla Walla.
In Ellensburg, Central Washington University’s psychology building is typical of its era. Constructed in 1972, it is a mid-century modern design by Grant, Copeland & Chervenas.
In Walla Walla, Cordiner Hall on the campus of Whitman College is the main hall and is used for ceremonies and similar events. It was designed by Naramore, Bain, Brady, and Johnson and built in 1967, thanks to a $500,000 gift from General Electric.
The mix of locations and methods is deliberate, said Dillman, who retired eight years ago at the age of 75.
“I was trying to connect things from the past. I didn’t limit it to the architects from our class. I just focused on good architecture.”