Calling all Pacific Northwest modernists—if you’re looking for something to do this weekend, you need to get yourself over to Portland, Oregon, for Restore Oregon’s 2017 Midcentury Modern tour, companion lecture and after-tour celebration. And if that sounds like a mouthful, you don’t even know the half of it.
This day of midcentury architecture and design revolves around one man, celebrated Pacific Northwest architect William Fletcher. Attendees to Restore Oregon’s event will tour several residences designed by Fletcher, whose love of geometry and proportion shine through every room. And once you’ve seen the homes in person, stay for a lecture on “The Work and Legacy of William Fletcher, Northwest Modernist” to learn more about the man behind the blueprints. If you’re still not ready to go home, join in the after party, hosted by Rejuvenation.
With early inspiration coming from the works of Mies van der Rohe, Fletcher began his career in 1955 out of his own basement, eventually founding his own architecture firm, FFA Architecture and Interiors, Inc. It wasn’t long before he established himself in Portland along with fellow architects Saul Zaik, Donald Blair, John Reese, Frank Blachly, Alex Pierce and designer George Schwarz—a group that would later earn the name “the 14th Street Gang of Architects.”
William Fletcher was one of the founders of the regional architecture style that is now affectionately known as “Northwest Modernism.” Building using wood primarily found locally in the Pacific Northwest, Fletchers homes benefitted by his attention to site placement. He tackled challenges presented by the area’s unique lighting, creating homes that are all at once eye catching and one with the surrounding landscape.
Whether you’re a Fletcher fanatic or are simply in awe of the midcentury architecture of the Pacific Northwest, this program created by Restore Oregon is not to be missed. The tour is Saturday, September 23, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $45 general admission or $35 for Restore Oregon members; purchase includes access to lecture and after-tour party.
For more information about the tour or to purchase tickets, visit restoreoregon.org.
