Arthur Skolnik FAIA

Arthur Skolnik FAIA (March 11, 1944 - January 15, 2020) (BA Arch U of Illinois 1966, MA Pratt Institute 1967), President of The Skolnik Company (aka The Conservation Company), received acclaim for his three+ decades of effort to bring economic vitality to landmarks preservation.  He initiated preservation offices in diverse government settings -- as Seattle's first historic district manager, in Pioneer Square; the nation's first city conservator, in Seattle; and the first state conservator, in Washington. 

His conservation activism and successes began with the 1970s founding of the United South Slope Residents to save Queen Anne's Kerry Park, and the campaign to rescue Pioneer Square from then-conventional urban renewal.  He went on to spearhead rehabilitation of San Diego's downtown Gaslamp Quarter (1983-85).  Back in Seattle, he created innovative public-private partnerships for economic development, working with King County -- and contributing in important ways to effective decision-making for urban quality.

Following a stint with Daly Architects in downtown Seattle and a tenure as Executive Director of the Kalakala Foundation, Art took an active part in the public dialog around the future of Seattle's downtown waterfront.

Raised in a family tradition of civic activism, Art ran for the King County Council in the mid-1970s, in 1998 for the Washington legislature to represent the district including North Bend, where he and his family owned and operated a llama ranch, and in 2003 for a seat on the Seattle City Council.

David Hewitt FAIA sponsored Art Skolnik's nomination for the AIA College of Fellows, resulting in Art's investiture in 1996 at the AIA Convention in Minneapolis.

References:
2003:  "Art Skolnik:  Challenger Underscores Fund-Raising Flaws"
2008:  Historic Designation Sought for Alaskan Way Viaduct
Pacific Coast Architecture Database:  Arthur Michael Skolnik