 Pacific Architect & Builder building. Photo: Roscoe Laing 1961 My love for mid-century architecture really came to fruition in my 20s when I began photographing the still-standing 50s and 60s structures in Western Washington, but the root of my affection goes back even further. My grandfather's career as a photographer, editor and Vice President of an architecture magazine eventually had an undeniable influence on my own path in design and photography and I thought I'd share a small piece of that here. Pacific Architect & Builder was a monthly publication that ran from the 1950s through the 1970s discussing modern architecture, building materials, architects and statistics throughout the western United States. As modern architecture in the US was gaining notoriety in Southern California and the East Coast, the Pacific Northwest was often overlooked—and as a result was less-frequently documented. The publication remains an extremely significant piece of history due to it being quite possibly the only monthly publication dedicated to Modernism in the Pacific Northwest.  In 1960, construction began on a brand new building in Seattle's Eastlake neighborhood that would house both the Pacific Architect & Builder offices and their printing plant. Consulting editor and architect A.O. Bumgardner would take charge of the building design while partnering with prolific structural engineer Jack Christiansen to help create the folded-plate concrete roof. Christiansen's thin-shell concrete structures have dotted the Pacific Northwest for decades: the pedestrian bridge over Montlake at UW, the short-lived Kingdome, the Exhibition Hall at Seattle Center, the Pacific Science Center and countless others. At the time, my grandfather, Roscoe Laing was the Vice President and deeply involved in the design and construction process—his Volkswagen Beetle can even be seen out front of the office in almost every photo taken of the building in the 1960s.  My grandfather at his desk inside of the building. As Vice President Roscoe often still had his camera at work—for jobs and for fun, documenting office parties and occasionally acting as an uncredited staff photographer. His daughter, my mom, also worked at the office as a teenager in the late-1960s.  A photo of the Pacific Architect & Builder building that I took in 2021. Aside from the familial connection, it remains one of my favorite structures in the city. Now an official Seattle Landmark, recognized for its architectural significance, it is a comfort knowing that it will stay standing for years to come. You can drive right up to the building to admire it in person at 1945 Yale Pl E, just a couple blocks off of Lake Union. Below are interior photos taken by my grandfather in the 1960s as well as the cover of the January '61 issue with a photo by Art Hupy. 
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