David Hewitt FAIA

AIA Seattle Medalist 2005:  David M. Hewitt FAIA
David Hewitt FAIA (1936-2023) (BArch cum laude UW 1964), Senior Principal of Hewitt Architects (formerly Hewitt Daly Isley), has made major contributions to architecture in and around Seattle, in both policy and practice.

The statement of his lifetime achievements at the time of their recognition in the bestowal of AIA Seattle's highest honor, the AIA Seattle Medal, in 2005, notes:

"As urban design has professionalized over three decades as a practice shaping Northwest communities, David Hewitt FAIA has pioneered and exemplified the role of the architect in civic life.  Beginning with advocacy as one of the "Gang of Five" that in the early 1980s illuminated urban issues for the then-emerging Seattle Weekly, David Hewitt has raised a quiet but insistent voice for design quality, endeavoring to improve public understanding of and involvement in city-shaping.  Through service and leadership on numerous civic boards (Allied Arts of Seattle, Seattle Design Commission, and Seattle Architectural Foundation among others), he has exemplified the architect as guardian of excellence in design and planning. 
As AIA Seattle President in 1976, he helped guide his fellow professionals in a time of profound questioning of concepts of professional ethics.  His engagement has transcended the practice of architecture, as he has invested his heart and soul into urban design as a way of making change, exemplifying our highest ideals for civic leadership and guidance.

Since founding (in 1975) the interdisciplinary practice known today as Hewitt Architects, David Hewitt has led the design effort for some of Seattle's most visible projects of the recent era, shaping Seattle's central waterfront "front door" -- Harbor Steps East and North, the Port of Seattle's Bell Street Pier, as well as major projects connected with the area's transit systems.  All along the way, his broad perspective and quiet leadership have inspired his fellow professionals and public constituencies alike, and profoundly influenced both the form and the civic culture of the greater Seattle urban region."

His elevation to the AIA College of Fellows, in 1994, sponsored by David Wright FAIA, recognized the national significance of his achievements to advance the profession in the area of urban design.

References:
* Puget Sound Business Journal 1996:  "Hewitt Isley buildings known for functionality, not flash"
* Seattle Times Pacific Northwest Magazine 10/28/03: "A Box of Color" features the Bainbridge Island home of David Hewitt & Marcia Wagoner