B. Marcus Priteca FAIA

B. Marcus Priteca FAIA (1889-1971), born in Scotland of east European Jewish heritage and trained in Edinburgh, came to Seattle in 1909 on a traveling scholarship and obtained work with E. W. Houghton.

In her study of Priteca in Shaping Seattle Architecture, Miriam Sutermeister writes, "A chance encounter with Alexander Pantages marked the beginning of his independent career as an architect, and as the exclusive architect for the Pantages theater circuit from 1910 to 1929.  During the Pantages years, Priteca had branch offices in Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.  ... Priteca made a major contribution to Seattle's urban fabric during the first third of the twentieth century, [becoming] internationally known for his theaters, found throughout the United States and across Canada, which played a major role in the development of this building type in North America."

His acknowledged architectural masterpieces in the Seattle area include perhaps most prominently the Coliseum Theater, as well as the former Bikur Cholim Synagogue (later Langston Hughes Cultural Center), Temple de Hirsch Sinai, Seattle Talmud Torah, the former Hillel building, the Fani Rosenbaum Memorial Chapel, the original Seattle Opera House, Longacres race track, and the Pantages (Palomar), Orpheum, and Admiral theaters.  His work also includes civic structures in San Diego and Anchorage.

He served as President of AIA Washington State Chapter in 1938.  The AIA College of Fellows inducted B. Marcus Priteca, known to his colleagues and friends as "'Benny," in 1951.

Reference:  HistoryLink B. Marcus Priteca