2003 Awards Granted — Grand Prize Winner: Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center, Six Other Major Awards Granted
The Grand Prize in this year’s Walla Walla 2020 Architectural Awards competition went to the Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center, for the “loving and successful restoration and renovation of the historic 1928 hotel, and the addition of a compatible new conference center in downtown Walla Walla.” Six other major awards were made, eleven projects were honored with certificates of merit, and one received honorable mention in an October 28 public awards ceremony at the Marcus Whitman.
The Marcus Whitman, its owner Kyle Mussman, and project architect Fletcher Farr Ayotte, also received a 2002 award from the State Office of Historical Preservation for outstanding achievements in historic preservation which called the project results “stunning…with restored grand public spaces and an indoor color scheme that acknowledges Walla Walla’s new status as a center of the wine industry.”
Other major Walla Walla 2020 awards for work on historic buildings went to Brickstone Design Gallery and Tomkins and Flowers, LLC for the exterior restoration and interior renovation of the Breier Building on the northwest corner of Main and Colville, Ketelsen Construction, contractor; and to Jeffrey and Patrice Townsend, owners, and Walt Caton, contractor, for the rehabilitation, restoration, and reconversion of the 1909 residence at 504 Catherine from multifamily to single-family use.
Major awards were also given in the category of energy efficiency to Dirk and Kathy Nelson, owners and Free Range Building Company, contractor, in recognition of the creative design and extensive use of recycled materials in the attractive and efficient new earth home at 1156 Reser Road, and to the new Whitman College Hall of Science, ZGF architects and Emerick Construction, contractor, for extraordinary energy-saving features in the design and construction of the new science facility.
A major award in the area of public art went to the Blue Mountain Arts Alliance for their continuing contributions to the enrichment of downtown Walla Walla in the acquisition and placement of five new sculptures, including “Matilde on Her Way to Market” by Nano Lopez, “Mother and Child” by Tom Emmerson, “Lights of the Valley” by Squire Broel, “The Thinker” by Ralph Trethewey, and “Holding it Together” by Bill Piper. Another major art award went to the Farmers Market Bandstand Pavilion, Wayne Chabre, artist; Walla Walla 2020 and the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation coordinated the project, then donated it to the City of Walla Walla.
Certificates of merit awarded for work on historic buildings included the 1906 Fair Pavilion cupola and roof restoration, Walla Walla County, owner, Dick Moeller, contractor; the extensive restoration and renovation of the historic home at 516 S. Palouse by Bradley and Jacquelyn Tompkins, owners and Brian Hergert, contractor; the Pastime Café exterior restoration, Robert and Virginia Fazzari, owners and contractors, Gary Wasemiller, designer; the compatible addition of a carport and playhouse at the 1918 home at 1224 Alvarado Terrace by Chris and Marquita Drabek, owners and Stan Froese, contractor; and the Painted Lady decorative exterior paint treatment at 605 Catherine by Roy and Lianne Schellenberg, owners and contractors.
Additional certificates of merit were given for the compatible new construction of a two-story office and residential building at 315. E. Main, Barbara Whatley, owner and contractor, and for the compatible new iron fencing around the 1900 Dr. Cropp House at 403 E. Rose, Joanne Price and Steve Huntington, owners and ABC Ironworks, contractor. Honorable mention was given to the rehabilitation of an approximately 65-year-old building on the grounds of the Kirkman House Museum as a textile center to demonstrate and display weaving technology from the 19th century. Four landscaping projects also received certificates of merit, including the extraordinary efforts of Full Circle Creative, David and Lucia Mumm, owners, Mike Peterson architect, Brandon Bradley, contractor, in the restoration of the stream bank at the graphic design offices at 520 Lincoln; the extensive perimeter landscaping around the newly expanded Rose Street Safeway, Gamache Landscaping, contractor; the attractive new curbside landscaping at Canoe Ridge Vineyard at 13th and Cherry, Jeana Garske of Surroundings, contractor, and the addition by Whitman College of pleasing landscaping in the parking area of its historic North Hall dormitory at Clinton and Figueroa.
This year’s 2020 architectural awards were given in cooperation with the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation, Historical Architecture Development, Inc., and Pacific Power. A complete listing of all past architectural awards and other architectural information is available on the Walla Walla 2020 website. Nominations for future projects can be sent to PO Box 1222, Walla Walla, WA 99362.
