Wikipedia

Ibsen Nelsen

Ibsen Andreas Nelsen (October 2, 1919 – July 19, 2001) was an American architect 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, began his own practice in 1953. He partnered with Russell Sabin shortly afterwards, with Gordon Bennet Varey joining the firm in 1961 to form Nelsen, Sabin, & Varey, where he designed projects such as the home of painter Morris Graves in Loleta, California. He 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.

Ibsen Nelsen
Born
Ibsen Andreas Nelsen

(1919-10-02)October 2, 1919
Ruskin, Nebraska, United States
DiedOctober 10, 2001(2001-10-10) (aged 82)
Vashon Island, Washington, United States
EducationUniversity of Oregon
OccupationArchitect
Years active1951–1990
Spouse
Ruth Hanawalt
​
(m. 1946)​
Children4

Biography

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On October 2, 1919, Ibsen Andreas Nelsen was born in Ruskin, Nebraska, to Julius Nelsen, a Danish-born carpenter. During the Dust Bowl, his family left the plains to settle in Medford, Oregon. There, Nelsen attended high school, while learning carpentry and cabinetry from his father. He joined the Army following the United States' entry into World War II and was deployed to the southwest Pacific Theater, where he was promoted to the rank of captain. He received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his actions during the war.[1][2]

Architecture career

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Following the war, he attended college at the University of Oregon with the support of the G.I. Bill provisions. He graduated from the university 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 the same 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. Gordon Bennett Varey joined the firm in 1961, leading to its rebranding as Nelsen, Sabin, & Varey.[1][2][3] From 1956 to 1965, Nelsen taught as an assistant professor at the University of Washington.[2]

 
The Environmental Sciences Building at Western Washington University, Bellingham
 
The Museum of Flight in Tukwila, Washington

In 1967, after commissions such as the residence of painter Morris Graves in Loleta, California, and alterations to the University of Washington's Playhouse Theatre, Nelsen left Sabin and Varery to begin a new private practice, titled Ibsen Nelsen & Associates. He embarked on a series of major commissions for Western Washington University, 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. Alongside the Inn at the Market building at Pike Place Market, Seattle, he began work on the Museum of Flight in 1975, which he would continue until 1987. From 1986 to 1990, he designed his own home on Vashon Island, which he dubbed Island Farm, off traditional Danish farmhouses.[1][2][4]

Personal life

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Nelsen married Ruth Hanawalt, originally from Puyallup, Washington, in 1946. They had four children.[3] He was active in historic preservation, urban renewal, and art conservation campaigns. He helped to found the Seattle Design Commission and the Municipal Arts Commission of Seattle, serving as the president of the latter 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 American Institute of Architects; shortly after joining the institute in 1960, he served as the Seattle Chapter Vice President from 1960 to 1961. He received an AIA Fellowship in 1981, and the AIA Seattle Medal in 1989. He died on Vashon Island on July 19, 2001.[2]

Works

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Designs by Ibsen Nelsen
Name Location Date Ref
House 11509 32nd Avenue NE, Seattle, Washington 1954 [3]
Prudential Insurance Company of America Seattle, Washington 1956 [3]
Boy Scouts of American Headquarters Building 3120 Rainier Avenue S, Seattle, Washington 1959 [5]
House 6105 SE 32nd St., Mercer Island, Washington 1959 [6]
Renegade Investors Building Seattle, Washington 1959–1960 [2]
House 3011 Webster Point NE, Seattle, Washington 1960 [7]
Alderwood Ward Chapel Mountlake Terrace, Washington 1960–1961 [2]
House 3201 W Laurelhurst Drive NE, Seattle, Washington 1961 [8]
Robert Minto House 2603 NE 86th St., Seattle, Washington 1961 [3]
Benjamin Weeks House University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 1961 [3]
House 760 Overlake Drive W, Medina, Washington 1962 [9]
House 3827 E Crocket St., Seattle, Washington 1964 [10]
Morris Graves House Loleta, California 1965–1967 [2]
Hughes Playhouse Theatre (remodel) University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 1966 [11]
Campus Christian Ministry 3525 19th Avenue SE, Seattle, Washington 1967 [12]
Miller Hall Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 1967–1968 [3]
Bond Hall Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 1967–1968 [3]
Artnzen Hall Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 1972 [1]
Social Science Building Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 1974 [1]
A. E. Doyle Building (interior remodel) Seattle, Washington 1973 [13]
Guthrie Hall 3921 West Stevens Way NE, Seattle, Washington 1973 [3]
Washington Governor's Mansion (interior remodel) Olympia, Washington 1974 [14]
Inn at the Market Seattle, Washington 1975–1982 [2]
Stewart House Seattle, Washington 1975–1982 [2]
Museum of Flight Tukwila, Washington 1975–1987 [2]
University of Washington Academic Computer Center University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 1976–1977 [3][11]
Northwest Environmental Studies Center Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 1981 [1]
Merrill Court Townhouses Seattle, Washington 1981–1986 [2]
Roanoke Reef Townhouses Seattle, Washington 1984–1986 [2]
Island Farm (Ibsen Nelsen House) Vashon Island, Washington 1986–1990 [1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Houser 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Ochsner & Rash 2014, p. 464.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j PCAD.
  4. ^ Felber.
  5. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 186.
  6. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 235.
  7. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 224.
  8. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 223.
  9. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 244.
  10. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 173.
  11. ^ a b Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 221.
  12. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 211.
  13. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 56.
  14. ^ Woodbridge & Montgomery 1980, p. 286.

Bibliography

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  • Felber, Lynette. "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 (2005–2024). "Ibsen Andreas Nelsen". Pacific Coast Architecture Database. University of Washington. Retrieved August 21, 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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