Norman Johnston

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Norman J. Johnston (3 December 1918 – 16 March 2015) was a Professor in the Departments of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning in the University of Washington College of Built Environments. [1]

University of Washington College of Built Environments

The College of Built Environments (CBE) is an academic college at the University of Washington in Seattle. The CBE offers programs in architecture, construction management, landscape architecture, real estate, and urban planning. From 1957 to 2009, it was known as the College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP). Today, the College of Built Environments is made up of five core units: Architecture/Architectural Design, Construction Management, Landscape Architecture, Real Estate, and Urban Design & Planning. It also houses two interdisciplinary Ph.D. degrees, as well as several other interdisciplinary centers and institutes. The 2009 name change reflects an integrated approach to planning, design, and construction that will be necessary to take on the 21st-century global challenges of urbanization and climate change.

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Education

Johnston was born in Seattle and raised in Olympia, Washington. His father, Jay Johnston, was the resident supervisor during the construction of the Washington State capitol complex. Johnston enrolled at the University of Washington, planning to study architecture, but graduated in 1942 with a B.A. in art. He subsequently earned his B.Arch. from the University of Oregon, graduating in 1949. He earned a Master of Urban Planning in 1959 and a Ph.D. in 1964 at the University of Pennsylvania.

Olympia, Washington State capital and city in Washington, United States

Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. European settlers claimed the area in 1846, with the Treaty of Medicine Creek initiated in 1854, and the Treaty of Olympia initiated in January 1856.

Washington State Capitol home of the government of the state of Washington

The Washington State Capitol or Legislative Building in Olympia is the home of the government of the state of Washington. It contains chambers for the Washington State Legislature and offices for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and treasurer and is part of a campus consisting of several buildings. Buildings for the Washington Supreme Court, executive agencies and the Washington Governor's Mansion are part of the capitol campus.

University of Oregon Public research university in Eugene, Oregon

The University of Oregon is a public flagship research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution's 295-acre campus is along the Willamette River. Since July 2014, UO has been governed by the Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon. The university has a Carnegie Classification of "highest research activity" and has 19 research centers and institutes. UO was admitted to the Association of American Universities in 1969.

Career

Johnston was a staff member for the Seattle Planning Commission from 1950–54 and then was employed by the Seattle architecture firm, Nelson, Sabin & Varey, from 1954 to 1956. After a brief period as a faculty member at the University of Oregon, he was appointed Associate Professor of Architecture and Planning at the University of Washington in 1960.

Over his academic career, Johnston taught courses in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning. He served as Assistant to the Dean from 1962 to 1964 and then as Associate Dean from 1966 to 1983. He was Chair of the Department of Architecture from 1983 to 1984. As a college administrator he helped to build the college library (now Built Environments Library) and the college slide collection (now Visual Resources Collection). He also worked to build the collection of architectural drawings and papers held at the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections Division. It was largely through his efforts that Elizabeth Ayer gave her family papers and drawings to the Special Collections Division of the University of Washington Libraries.

Elizabeth Ayer American architect

Elizabeth Ayer is recognized as a pioneering architect in Seattle, Washington, whose professional activities stretched over more than five decades. She was the first woman to graduate from the professional architecture program at the University of Washington and was the first woman to be registered as an architect in Washington State.

Johnston's publications focused on the history of the region, including the Washington State capitol complex and the University of Washington campus. He also wrote about the history of the Department of Architecture and the College of Built Environments (formerly the College of Architecture & Urban Planning).

Public service

During his years on the faculty, Johnston engaged in a broad range of university and public service. [2] Johnston served on the University of Washington Landscape Advisory Committee beginning in 1970 and several times was its chair; in 2007 he was granted a lifetime voting privilege on the Committee. He was the founding chair of the Washington Capitol Master Plan Advisory Committee; he served as Chair from 1982 to 1988 and again in 1996, and he remained on the Committee for almost two decades. He was a founding member of Allied Arts of Seattle in 1952; in the 1960s he was a leader in Allied Arts's fight for legislation in Olympia to eliminate billboards. He served on the Washington State Architectural Registration Board from 1970 to 1981 and again from 1988 to 1999. He served as AIA Seattle president in 1981. [3]

Allied Arts of Seattle is a non-profit organization in Seattle, Washington, USA. The organization advocates for public funding of the arts, better urban planning and architecture, and other civic improvements. The organization claims to be the "oldest non-profit organization in Seattle dedicated to urban livability", but, in any case, at 50+ years old is certainly a venerable organization by the standards of a city barely older than 150 years It was a major force in establishing the Seattle Arts Commission, creating Seattle Center on the grounds of the Century 21 Exposition and preserving historical landmarks and neighborhoods, particularly Pioneer Square and Pike Place Market, as well as defeating the 2012 Seattle Olympic bid.

Billboard Advertising signage

A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure, typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers. Typically showing witty slogans and distinctive visuals, billboards are highly visible in the top designated market areas.

Johnston was elected a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects in 1982; he received the AIA Seattle Chapter Medal in 1990. [4] He was a co-recipient, with his wife L. Jane Hastings, of the Leslie Boney Spirit of Fellowship Award given by the AIA College of Fellows. He received the Washington State Distinguished Citizen Award in 1991.

American Institute of Architects professional association for architects

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) 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. The AIA also works with other members of the design and construction team to help coordinate the building industry.

Jane Hastings architect

Lois Jane Hastings, often known as L. Jane Hastings, is an American architect, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and the first woman to serve as chancellor of the AIA College of Fellows. Her architecture firm, the Hastings Group, designed over 500 mostly residential buildings in the Seattle area.

Writings

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