Paul Thiry (architect)
Introduction '''Paul Thiry''' (1904–1993) was an American architect most active in Washington state, known as the father of architectural modernism in the Pacific Northwest. Thiry designed "some of the best period buildings around the state of Washington during the 1950, 60s and 70s."
Life Thiry was born in Nome, Alaska, of French parents. He was a 1928 graduate of the architecture school at the University of Washington and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in France. He traveled in Europe and met Le Corbusier, before returning to Seattle in 1935.Thiry designed his own house upon his return  but had few commissions in the 1930s. Those he built "showed a clear understanding of the European International Style in his use of spare, geometric forms, clean lines, and new building technologies. "Aerial view of the Climate Pledge Arena, built originally as the Washington State Pavilion for the Century 21 Exposition.Thiry came to national attention in 1937 with a cement-based stuccoed residence for a manager at Portland Cement, Frank J. Barrett. The innovative house was published in ''The Modern House in America'' in 1940:  the garage and house formed two rectangles, with a "smooth, undecorated exterior", its doors and windows flush with the surface. Steel window frames were painted blue-green, and glass-brick was used around the entry and along the walls of the partly sunken living room.Thiry served as supervising architect for the Seattle World's Fair, responsible for the overall plan and coordinating the work of contributors like John Graham Jr. (for the Space Needle), Minoru Yamasaki, and the landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. Thiry's own designs for the fair included the Washington State Pavilion, which later became the KeyArena and is today the Climate Pledge Arena.Thiry has been compared to other modernists in the Northwest such as Pietro Belluschi (1899–1994) and John Yeon (1910–1994). Thiry is quoted as having said that "Buildings should be good neighbors." He is credited with being "instrumental" to introducing International Style architecture in Seattle.
Lewis and Clark College The Agnes Flanagan Chapel on the Lewis and Clark College campus, the site of various religious services and weddingsSt. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 1964–1968, Seattle, WashingtonThiry designed the Agnes Flanagan Chapel, the Aubrey Watzek Library, and the Biology-Psychology Building  at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.The Flanagan chapel is "a creatively designed 16-sided structure" with an 85-rank Casavant Frères organ and seating for 600 people. According to the Lewis and Clark website the building "serves as a meeting place for lectures, musical performances, and religious services. The entry is a bridge flanked by Northwest Coast Indian-style statues depicting the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) created by the native artist Chief Lelooska.
Projects * Paul Thiry residence (1935–1936)* Frank J. Barrett residence (1937)* Thiry architectural office, 800 Columbia Street (1946)* Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) (1952) at 2700 24th Avenue East in Seattle, Washington *Regents Hill (originally "New Women's Dorimitory"), Washington State University, Pullman, Washington (1952)* Frye Art Museum (1952) at 704 Terry Avenue in Seattle (later remodeled and expanded)* Washington State Library, Olympia, Washington, 1959* U.S. Embassy Residence, Santiago, Chile, 1961* Nalley's Fine Food pavilion (1961) * supervising architect for Seattle's Century 21 Exposition, along with his own design for the Washington State Pavilion, now the Climate Pledge Arena (1961)* Delta Upsilon chapter house, Washington Chapter, Seattle, Washington (1967). * Watzek Library (1968) and the Agnes Flanagan Chapel (1969) at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon* concrete sanctuary addition to the North Slope section, Christ Episcopal Church, Tacoma, Washington (1970)* consulting architect for the Libby Dam project, Libby, Montana (1975)
Bibliography *''Churches and Temples'' with Richard Bennett and Henry Kamphoefner Rheinhold Publishing 1953
References
External links *  Biography at HistoryLink*  University of Oregon Libraries photographs of the Agnes Flanagan Chapel and Watzek Library at Lewis and Clark College and the Museum of History and Industry (Seattle, Washington)