Page 8 - PROOF!v4

Steve Clark,
Martin residence (1989), designed by Steve Clark. “I tend to react negatively when people ask me what style my architecture is,” says Clark. “I like to think it’s without style – or without fashion, at least. That what I do is more evolutionary from the program.” Today, Clark lives in a home designed by McClure & Adkison in 1951: the house Tom Adkison himself lived in. Photo courtesy of Steve Clark.
Where a strict Modernist would want the wall to express its ‘wallness,’ Moritz saw its other capacity: as a way to articulate a pattern of light.”
an architect who worked for Kundig in 1971, thinks of Moritz’s aesthetic as “soft Modernism” – an attention to materials and design details that trumps the in exibility of strict rationalism. “It’s almost a Japanese-like restraint in the way Moritz approaches design,” he says.
Spokane’s Civic Theatre (1967) was
“a plum of a commission” for Moritz Kundig. Originally designed for poured- in-place concrete, Kundig opted for concrete block to meet the very limited budget. “I think it is one of my best buildings,” he says. Shops, of ces, and a studio theatre were added in 1970. Photos courtesy of Moritz Kundig.
More than anything, Kundig seemed to understand Modernism’s limits in
the face of the human condition. “The fact that there were architects like
Moritz who took a look at the dogmatic side of Modernism and tried to soften
it – or humanize it, I suppose – was a recognition that our existence is not dogmatic,” says Tom. “It’s sort of a owing, shaping, river-like experience. That’s why his approach makes sense.”
Ever the pragmatist, Moritz continued to adapt. “People started to dislike Modernism because it appeared too simple and too plain to them,” he says. “Whether they were right or wrong, I could not ignore this if I wanted to do any work.”
When Modernism led to Brutalism – a more massive, heavy style associated with industrial buildings – Kundig adopted some of its elements for the McNeil Island chapel, the Spokane Civic Theatre, and the Great Northwest Federal Savings and Loan on Spokane Falls Boulevard. And when Postmodernism brought back traditional, more decorative features, Moritz incorporated those characteristics into Ephrata High School, the Omak Performing
Arts Center, and Rockwood Clinic on 5th Avenue.
“Most of all,” says Kundig, “I always tried to be responsive to the particular situation and work without preconceived ideas. I like to think that my buildings have character and integrity and are somewhat timeless.”