Thomas Bosworth
Encyclopedia
Thomas L. Bosworth is a noted Seattle architect
and architectural educator. His best-known structures are those he designed for the Pilchuck Glass School
between 1971 and 1986, but his primary focus in his thirty-five year professional career has been the design of single family residences across the Pacific Northwest
.
, where his father and grandfather were ministers and faculty members. Bosworth received his undergraduate degree from Oberlin College
, where he studied architectural history with an emphasis on classical architecture, and graduated with a B.A. in 1952. He attended Princeton University
graduate school studying art and archaeology, but returned to Oberlin after a year and earned his M.A in 1954. After military service, he studied briefly at Harvard University
as a Ph.d. student, then entered the four-year professional program in architecture at Yale University
, graduating with an M.Arch. in 1960.
Bosworth spent four years working in the office of Eero Saarinen
, then joined the faculty at Rhode Island School of Design
(RISD) in 1964. He headed the Architecture Department beginning in 1966, but left after two years to move to the Pacific Northwest
.
Bosworth came to Seattle in 1968 to serve as Chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of Washington, a position he held until 1972; he continued thereafter as a professor of architecture until his retirement about 2003.
In 1971 he was commissioned by John Hauberg and Anne Gould Hauberg
to develop designs for the Pilchuck Glass School
. Bosworth drew on the rustic architecture of the American West as a source for his design of the Hot Shop for kilns for glass blowing (1973), Flat Shop for smaller glass projects (1976), Lodge (1977), and a series of other structures. By 1986 he was responsible for fifteen structures at Pilchuck. He also served as Director of the school from 1977 to 1980.
Bosworth's residential practice flowered in the 1980s and has continued to the present. Between 1980 and 2004, Bosworth was responsible for the design of approximately 60 single-family residences across the Northwest, many of them vacation homes in rural settings. With their symmetries, axial composition and studied proportions, Bosworth's designs often show the influence of his classical background. Over the years, Bosworth's work was recognized with numerous design awards.
During his years at the University of Washington, he was instrumental in initiating the Architecture Department's Rome Program. And an exchange program with Kobe University, Japan.
Bosworth was elected a Fellow
in the American Institute of Architects
in 1979. He received a mid-career fellowship (Rome Prize) from the American Academy in Rome
in 1980. He was awarded the AIA Seattle Chapter Medal and an honorary doctorate from Kobe University, Japan in 2003. Bosworth is also a member of the ultra secret Bohemian Grove Society.
Bosworth's architectural practice is now carried on as Bosworth Hoedemaker Architecture in Seattle, Washington.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and architectural educator. His best-known structures are those he designed for the Pilchuck Glass School
Pilchuck Glass School
Founded in 1971 by Dale Chihuly, Anne Gould Hauberg and John H. Hauberg , Pilchuck Glass School is an international center for glass art education. The name "Pilchuck" comes from the local Native American language and translates to "red river"...
between 1971 and 1986, but his primary focus in his thirty-five year professional career has been the design of single family residences across the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
.
Biography
Bosworth was born and raised in Oberlin, OhioOberlin, Ohio
Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, to the south and west of Cleveland. Oberlin is perhaps best known for being the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students...
, where his father and grandfather were ministers and faculty members. Bosworth received his undergraduate degree from Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, where he studied architectural history with an emphasis on classical architecture, and graduated with a B.A. in 1952. He attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
graduate school studying art and archaeology, but returned to Oberlin after a year and earned his M.A in 1954. After military service, he studied briefly at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
as a Ph.d. student, then entered the four-year professional program in architecture at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, graduating with an M.Arch. in 1960.
Bosworth spent four years working in the office of Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
, then joined the faculty at Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
(RISD) in 1964. He headed the Architecture Department beginning in 1966, but left after two years to move to the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
.
Bosworth came to Seattle in 1968 to serve as Chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of Washington, a position he held until 1972; he continued thereafter as a professor of architecture until his retirement about 2003.
In 1971 he was commissioned by John Hauberg and Anne Gould Hauberg
Anne Gould Hauberg
Anne Gould Hauberg is a Seattle, Washington civic activist, philanthropist, and patron of the arts.Annie Laurie Westbrook Gould was the daughter of Seattle architect and educator Carl F. Gould and Dorothy Fay Gould...
to develop designs for the Pilchuck Glass School
Pilchuck Glass School
Founded in 1971 by Dale Chihuly, Anne Gould Hauberg and John H. Hauberg , Pilchuck Glass School is an international center for glass art education. The name "Pilchuck" comes from the local Native American language and translates to "red river"...
. Bosworth drew on the rustic architecture of the American West as a source for his design of the Hot Shop for kilns for glass blowing (1973), Flat Shop for smaller glass projects (1976), Lodge (1977), and a series of other structures. By 1986 he was responsible for fifteen structures at Pilchuck. He also served as Director of the school from 1977 to 1980.
Bosworth's residential practice flowered in the 1980s and has continued to the present. Between 1980 and 2004, Bosworth was responsible for the design of approximately 60 single-family residences across the Northwest, many of them vacation homes in rural settings. With their symmetries, axial composition and studied proportions, Bosworth's designs often show the influence of his classical background. Over the years, Bosworth's work was recognized with numerous design awards.
During his years at the University of Washington, he was instrumental in initiating the Architecture Department's Rome Program. And an exchange program with Kobe University, Japan.
Bosworth was elected a Fellow
FAIA
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects is a postnomial, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects...
in the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
in 1979. He received a mid-career fellowship (Rome Prize) from the American Academy in Rome
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome.- History :In 1893, a group of American architects, painters and sculptors met regularly while planning the fine arts section of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
in 1980. He was awarded the AIA Seattle Chapter Medal and an honorary doctorate from Kobe University, Japan in 2003. Bosworth is also a member of the ultra secret Bohemian Grove Society.
Bosworth's architectural practice is now carried on as Bosworth Hoedemaker Architecture in Seattle, Washington.