Ibsen Andreas Nelsen (October 2, 1919 – July 19, 2001) was an American architect and urban planner active in the Pacific Northwest. He was born to a Danish immigrant family in Ruskin, Nebraska, which fled west during the Dust Bowl and settled in Medford, Oregon. After serving in the Pacific during World War II, he received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon in 1951. He moved to Seattle, where after working for several smaller firms he began his own practice in 1953. He partnered with Russell Sabin shortly afterwards, with Gordon Bennett Varey joining the firm in 1961 to form Nelsen, Sabin, & Varey. With the firm, Nelsen designed projects such as the home of painter Morris Graves in Loleta, California.
Nelsen left to form his own practice in 1967, where he designed the Museum of Flight and a series of academic facilities for Western Washington University. He frequently incorporated art and sculpture into his designs, and worked in a variety of architectural styles. In addition to his architectural work, he worked as an urban planner and historical preservationist. He helped to found the Seattle Design Commission and the Municipal Arts Commission of Seattle, and worked to protect and revitalize Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square.
Early life
On October 2, 1919, Ibsen Andreas Nelsen was born in Ruskin, Nebraska, to a family of Danish immigrants. At twelve, he began learning carpentry and cabinetry while working for his father Julius Nelsen, the owner of a construction firm. During the Dust Bowl, his family fled the plains to settle in Medford, Oregon. There, Nelsen attended high school.[1][2][3] He joined the Army following the United States' entry into World War II and was deployed to the southwest Pacific Theater, seeing combat as an infantryman in New Guinea. He was promoted to the rank of captain, and received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his actions during the war.[1][4][5]
Architecture career
Following the war, Nelsen attended the University of Oregon with the support of the G.I. Bill provisions. He graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1951, and moved to Seattle, Washington, where he was briefly employed as a draftsman by the firm Naramore, Bain, Brady & Johanson. Later that year, he transferred to Morrison–Knudsen, where he worked as a designer until leaving the company in 1952. He opened his own architectural practice in the University District the following year, shortly afterwards partnering with Russell Sabin to form the firm Nelsen & Sabin. Together, they designed the Regrade Investors Building in Seattle and a Latter Day Saints chapel in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. In 1961, they designed the Benjamin Weeks House in Seattle, Washington, for which they earned an Honor Award from the Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Gordon Bennett Varey joined the firm in 1961, leading to its rebranding as Nelsen, Sabin, & Varey.[1][4][6] From 1956 to 1965, Nelsen taught as an assistant professor at the University of Washington.[4]
He designed commissions such as alterations to the University of Washington's Playhouse Theatre and the lakeside residence of painter Morris Graves in Loleta, California; the latter was described by the San Francisco Chronicle as his most significant house. In 1967, he left Nelsen, Sabin, & Varey to begin a new private practice named Ibsen Nelsen & Associates. He embarked on a series of major commissions for Western Washington University in Bellingham, designing five campus buildings between 1968 and 1981. The Environmental Studies Center, his last design for the campus, was the first environmental sciences facility in the United States, and won an AIA Honor Award. He began work on the Museum of Flight in 1975, which he would continue until 1987.[4][7]
From 1986 to 1990, Nelsen built his own home on Vashon Island, which he dubbed Island Farm, with a design inspired by traditional Danish farmhouses.[1][4]
Style
Nelsen prioritized practical and inexpensive housing.[1] Architect Arthur Skolnik described him as not favoring any specific architectural style, adopting different approaches depending on the client.[8] He frequently integrated art and sculpture into his work, including ceramics and sculpture by his sons Eric and Hans. He helped sculptor Isamu Noguchi receive commissions in the northwest, including for Sky Viewing Sculpture at Western Washington University.[5]
Personal life
Nelsen married Ruth Hanawalt, originally from Puyallup, Washington, in 1946; they met while Nelsen served at Fort Lewis. They had four children.[6] Nelsen was active in historic preservation, urban renewal, and art conservation campaigns. He helped to found the Seattle Design Commission, created as part of the Forward Thrust campaign, and the Municipal Arts Commission of Seattle. He served as the president of the arts commission from 1967 to 1968. He was a member of the Allied Arts of Seattle, serving as its president in 1969–1970. He was also a long-time member of the AIA; shortly after joining the institute in 1960, he served as the Seattle chapter's vice president from 1960 to 1961. He received an AIA Fellowship in 1981, and the AIA Seattle Medal in 1989.[1][4][8]
During the 1970s, Nelsen organized a social club dubbed the "Chowder Society", which met at his home to discuss Seattle urban development. Members of the society included the future mayor Paul Schell and journalists Emmett Watson and David Brewster. He died on Vashon Island of complications from prostate cancer on July 19, 2001.[2][4] His collected papers are held at Western Washington University.[9]
