Thomas L. Bosworth FAIA
The Medal recognizes Tom Bosworth FAIA for his much-honored and widely published work in residential design, which has become emblematic of the central values of Northwest architecture. In a career as a productive practitioner and an influential educator, including service as Chair of the University of Washington Department of Architecture 1968–72, Bosworth has significantly advanced the quality and the international reputation of Northwest design.
Born and raised in Oberlin, Ohio in a family that included ministers and faculty members, Tom Bosworth received his undergraduate degree from Oberlin College where he studied architectural history with an emphasis on classical architecture, and graduated with a BA in 1952. He attended Princeton University graduate school studying art and archaeology for a year, then returned to Oberlin and earned his MA in 1954. After military service, he studied briefly as a PhD student at Harvard, then entered the four-year professional program in architecture at Yale, graduating with an MArch in 1960.
Bosworth spent four years working in the office of Eero Saarinen, where he helped design several major projects while also teaching part-time at Yale. He then joined the faculty at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 1964. He headed the Architecture Department beginning in 1966, but left after two years to move to the Pacific Northwest
Bosworth came to Seattle in 1968 to serve as Chair of the UW Department of Architecture, a position he held until 1972; he continued thereafter as a Professor of Architecture until his retirement c. 2003. He played a key role in initiating the Department's Rome Program, as well as an exchange program with Kobe University.
In 1971 John Hauberg and Anne Gould Hauberg commissioned Tom to develop designs for the Pilchuck Glass School. By 1986 he had developed designs for fifteen structures at Pilchuck. He also served as Director of the School 1977-1980.
Bosworth's residential practice flourished in the 1980s and onward. Between 1980 and 2004, he oversaw design of approximately 60 single-family residences across the Northwest, many of them vacation homes in rural settings. With their symmetries, axial composition, and studied proportions, Bosworth's designs often show the influence of his classical background. Over the years, Bosworth's work received numerous design awards.
References:
* AIA Seattle Medal 2003
* AIA Seattle Medal 2003
* Building with Light in the Pacific Northwest: The Houses of Thomas L. Bosworth, Architect
* Thomas Bosworth, AIA NW & Pacific Region 2012 Medal of Honor
* Thomas Bosworth Honored for A Legacy of Teaching and Designing / Showcase 2012
* Thomas Bosworth PCAD