Docomomo WEWA

10/10/2026

An amazing Benjamin McAdoo-designed house built in 1959 in Normandy Park is for sale! The current owner and steward welcomed Docomomo US/WEWA board members and volunteers to view the home recently. We were blown away by the design, construction, quality, and views. This one is a gem.

Open houses this weekend (10/10 and 10/11 from NOON to 2 pm both days). Note: These are not Docomomo US/WEWA-sponsored tours. We just want to get the word out about this spectacular MCM residence.

4 bed, 3 bath Residential in Normandy Park, WA — $2,000,000. Welcome to a rare piece of PNW architectural history.

08/21/2026

The Freeway Park Association and Seattle Parks and Recreation are celebrating 50 years of Freeway Park! Celebrate tomorrow (8/22) at the park from NOON to 3 pm. Lots of great activities, fun, and learning. We'll be there too! Come see us at the History table along with Historic Seattle and MOHAI.

08/19/2026

We had a wonderful talk + tour of the Japanese Presbyterian Church in Seattle, WA. Thank you to everyone who joined us, Pastor JP for your hospitality, and the congregation for welcoming us into their modern sacred space. If you would like to see the full dedication booklet from 1963 (featured at the end of the reel) click this link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/irkc1iu8xqydx5c6wotgq/1963-11-03-Japanese-Presbyterian-Church-of-Seattle-Building-Dedication-Booklet.pdf?rlkey=baq7l92hgrk5ccc5s09m5ykzx&st=s3f173aa&dl=0

07/30/2026

Check out this cool MCM residence for sale in Seattle's Leschi neighborhood! See listing below.

The house was custom-designed by architect Leon Bridges, Sr., FAIA, for Charles and Eleanor Smith in 1967. Bridges holds the distinction of opening the second Black-owned architectural firm in Seattle, which he established in 1964. The house was an AIA/Seattle Times Home-of-the-Month. It remains incredibly intact. The current owners have been great stewards of the home.

Open houses on Thursday, July 30 (11 am to 1 pm) and Saturday, August 1 (11 am to 1 pm). (NOTE: This is not a Docomomo US/WEWA event.)

Learn more about the architect on Docomomo US/WEWA's website--we featured a biography of Leon Bridges, Sr. https://www.docomomo-wewa.org/architect/bridges-leon/

3411 E Terrace Street, Seattle, WA 98122 is a 3,820 sqft, 5 bed, 4 bath Single-Family Home listed for $2,450,000. Rare opportunity to own a slice of Seattle history. Designed specifically for this coveted location by AIA Award...

07/24/2026

The interior space of a place is often just as important as its exterior. Looking through these vintage postcards makes it easy to wish time travel was within the realm of possibility sometimes. They connect us with the past, evoke nostalgia, and inspire.

Featured:
1. The Space Needle Restaurant | Seattle, WA
2. Martin Cinerama | Seattle, WA
3. Clark's Coffee Tavern | Seattle, WA
4. & 5. Canlis | Seattle, WA | "The world's most beautiful restaurant."
6. Washington State Ferry "Walla Walla"
7. Spokane International Airport Interior | Spokane, WA | "One of the finest airports in the nation."

All postcards are from the vintage postcard collection of Docomomo US/WEWA chapter president, Eugenia Woo.

07/04/2026

Freeway Park turns 50 today! It’s blooming with life and we’re very excited that the fountains are flowing again. To honor five decades of this iconic city landmark, the Freeway Park Association has curated a vibrant lineup of upcoming cultural events and community gatherings. Be sure to visit their website to see all the activations going on at Freeway Park this summer.

https://www.freewayparkassociation.org/50-years

The 5.2-acre park was opened on July 4, 1976 as a cornerstone of the nation’s Bicentennial and was the world’s first park built over an active highway. It was designed by Lawrence Halprin & Associates under the design direction of Angela Danadjieva who boldly transformed the airspace above Interstate 5 into a lush, brutalist oasis of concrete canyons and waterfalls. In 2019, the park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and on July 6, 2022, it was unanimously designated as a Seattle Landmark.

https://www.docomomo-wewa.org/modern-places/freeway-park/

06/02/2026

Built in 1955 for civic activists Stim and Kay Bullitt, the modern H-shaped residence at 1125 Harvard Avenue E broke Capitol Hill tradition with its innovative A-frame design, radiant-heated floors, and unique skylights. Designed by Fred Bassetti to reflect Stim’s love for the outdoors, the home featured soaring vaulted ceilings, a massive stone fireplace, and expansive grounds landscaped by Eckbo, Royston, and Williams. For over fifty years, this informal family estate served as a vital progressive hub, hosting historic political meetings like the Keechelus Group and legendary summer picnics that united Seattle's political and social elite.

The home was built on the former Henry mansion site in Seattle’s historic Harvard–Belmont district, the Bullitt House is carefully integrated into its landscaped setting between Lake Union and Volunteer Park. Mature trees, gardens, and a covered approach create a sense of privacy, while the house’s partial daylight basement responds to the sloping site.

The residence is organized as an H-shaped composition of three volumes: a dramatic post-and-beam A-frame wing, a central entry pavilion, and a bedroom wing. Large glulam beams, a steep roof with translucent ridge panels, deep overhangs, skylights, and expansive windows emphasize natural light and structural expression. Exterior materials include vertical tongue-and-groove wood siding and Welchboard plywood panels.

The A-frame wing contains the home’s signature space, a soaring living and dining room with tall gable-end glazing, an open loft, and a freestanding circular fireplace set against a stone wall. Exposed beams, slate floors, custom wood detailing, and strong connections to the surrounding landscape exemplify the home’s warm mid-century modern design.

If you would like to learn much more about the full history of the Bullitt House, visit our website at docomomo-wewa.org/modern-places/bullitt-house/

05/21/2026

Don't miss this student-designed exhibit at the University of Washington's College of Built Environments. "CITY ERASED: Mapping Seattle’s Highway Cut" is on display in the Gould Gallery through May 29.

The exhibit "explores the legacy of urban revision and displacement caused by the construction of I-5 in Seattle. The project reshaped neighborhoods, displaced communities and transformed the city in the name of progress. Through archival research, mapping and digital reconstruction, students are rebuilding a portrait of the city as it existed before the freeway’s construction." The project was led by Dept of Architecture Lecturer Elisa Renouard.

The exhibition CITY ERASED: Mapping Seattle’s Highway Cut reconstructs the neighborhoods and communities displaced by the construction of I-5.

05/21/2026

In honor of the recent passing of architect, Leon Bridges, Sr., FAIA, DOCOMOMO US/WEWA celebrates his legacy as a trailblazer in architecture and his lasting impact in Seattle as the owner of the second Black-owned architectural firm in Seattle, which he established in 1964.

Born on August 18, 1932, in East Los Angeles, California, Bridges developed an early interest in architecture and, while attending Adams Junior High School, met his mentor, renowned Black architect Paul Williams. He attended East Los Angeles College, Los Angeles City College, and University of California, Los Angeles before being drafted into the Army in 1952, where he continued studying architecture while stationed in Japan. After returning to the US in 1955, he attended the University of Washington, earning a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1959. He later worked for the firm Gotteland & Koczarski from 1961–1963 and received his architectural license in 1961.

Throughout his career, Bridges was deeply involved in professional and civil rights organizations, serving as National AIA Director, co-founding the AIA/Ford Minority Scholarship Fund in 1976, and holding every national office within National Organization of Minority Architects, including president. He also mentored students through the NAACP ACT-SO program and served in leadership roles with the Seattle Urban League, King County Planning Commission, and Leschi Improvement Club. In 1986, he became a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and earned an MBA from Loyola University Maryland.
Bridges received more than two dozen awards for design excellence, including recognition for the restoration of Pennsylvania Station and Baltimore City College. Later in his career, he became a partner in The Obsidian Group, a North Carolina-based architecture and planning firm, and was honored as a 2025 Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Washington.

Leon Bridges, Sr. passed away on April 13, 2026 at the age of 93.

More about Bridges can be found on our website here: https://www.docomomo-wewa.org/architect/bridges-leon/

Or on this webpage from the University of Washington: In Memoriam: Leon Bridges, Sr., FAIA, NOMAC. https://arch.be.uw.edu/memorial-leon-bridges-sr-faia-nomac/

05/15/2026

An architectural gem in Innis Arden (Shorelilne) designed by Anker Molver and Bob Marquette is for sale! We toured the Mathieson House (built 1954; Seattle Times/AIA Home-of-the-Month, May 1954) back in 2011. The home has only had two owners. The current owner has been a great steward for almost 30 years. Check out the residence in person during open houses this Friday-Sunday (May 15-17). Photo credit: ARINS Media. See listing for details: https://tinyurl.com/bde75yh9