June 5, 2002

Design Detailings: Murphy honored for preservation

King County Executive Ron Sims recently honored Ron Murphy, a Seattle architect who has made a 30-year contribution to historic preservation in this region. He received a Certificate of Distinction for outstanding preservation work.

Murphy, who is a partner in the firm of Stickney Murphy Romine Architects, was recognized for 30 years of professional and volunteer commitment to historic preservation. One of his first projects was the Pioneer Building on Yesler Street in Pioneer Square, which became a catalyst for preservation efforts throughout the area. He is also considered an expert in creating affordable housing in historic buildings.

As a volunteer, Murphy has served on national, state, local organizations and boards to promote preservation. He also taught at the University of Washington for many years -- helping to educate a new generation of architects and historic preservationists.

The Spellman Award for Exemplary Achievement went to Dale and Susan Sherman, who restored the historic McGrath Hotel in North Bend. Not long ago, the building was so deteriorated that it was considered an eyesore by many, and hardly anything remained of the once-elegant lobby. "Within 16 months of purchasing the run-down 1922 hotel, the Shermans returned the McGrath to its former glory," said Sims.

ASCE hosts engineering winners

The Seattle Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers invites all ASCE members and interested civil engineers to the section meeting held Wednesday, June 12, at the Ballard Yankee Grill, 5300 24th Ave. N.W. The technical program will feature the 2001 Outstanding Project Awards Ceremony, recognizing 10 projects in the structural engineering and small projects categories. Awards will be given to the top project in each category. The competing projects are:

Structural Engineering: Grays Harbor County Courthouse Seismic Retrofit by Reid Middleton; DCLU Emergency Services, post-Nisqually earthquake by Reid Middleton; West Galer Street Flyover by CH2M Hill; Fatigue Technologies New Manufacturing Facility and Corporate Offices -- DCI Engineers.

Small Projects: Rehabilitation of West Wall Bulkhead by PanGEO, Inc. & Port of Seattle; Tester Road roundabout by Reid Middleton; Oyster Creek Inn -- Shannon & Wilson, Inc.; vertical movement detector system by Shannon & Wilson. Inc.; Willapa Bay Fish Ladders by Golder Associates; and Union Slough Mitigation Bank by Reid Middleton.

Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. and dinner is served at 6:30. Cost is $21. The reservation line is (206) 926-0482.

Degenkolb's 5 years in the NW

Degenkolb Engineers is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its first Northwest office in Portland. The Bay Area-based structural engineering firm expanded to the Northwest to continue its growing practice with Hewlett-Packard and Kaiser Permanente.

In five years, the office has grown to 20 employees in several market sectors. Chris Thompson leads the office’s health care, higher education and local government markets. Dave Roggenkamp leads commercial office buildings, residential, retail and construction means and methods. Stacy Bartoletti, now heading Degenkolb’s Seattle office, leads the microelectronics and federal government markets.

The Portland office offers services including structural design of new buildings, seismic evaluation and retrofit of existing buildings. Degenkolb’s client base includes architects, building owners, institutions, contractors and large corporations. Seismic upgrade work includes 29 Portland fire stations, 12 branch libraries for Multnomah County, four buildings at Oregon Health & Science University and seven buildings at Hewlett-Packard’s Corvallis and Vancouver campuses.

Sharpening your client focus

The Marketing Associates of Spokane, an educational and networking association of the area's professional marketers, sponsors a luncheon Thursday, June 13.

The luncheon will address questions such as are you winning jobs rather than clients, do you have the skills to profitably connect your corporate culture with your customers' culture and how effectively do you relate to clients and peers? Randy Tuminello of TrustBuilders International will speak.

The meeting will take place noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Kress Gallery on the third level of River Park Square, 808 W. Main Ave. in Spokane. Cost is $15 for members and $25 for non-members. For information, contact Richard Myracle at (509) 459-9220. Deadline is June 6.