January 15, 2009

Architect Jim McGranahan dies at age 73 after a fall

Jim McGranahan had a habit of sketching out ideas on the spot. If you were at a restaurant and started discussing a project, he would grab the nearest napkin or scrap of paper and start working, said Kent Hojem, a longtime client of McGranahan's. Hojem, CEO of the Western Washington Fair Association, which runs the Puyallup Fair, said he has boxes and boxes of McGranahan's scrap-paper notes and sketches, and he'll never get rid of them.

“It wouldn't surprise me in the least if, at some point five, 10 years from now, we'll be talking about some idea and some project and we'll say ‘Didn't Jim do a rendering or a drawing of something like that?'” Hojem said. “The echoes of Jim will ring for many years at this facility.”

Friends and colleagues described Tacoma Architect McGranahan as a mentor to dozens of Puget Sound architects. He was a pioneer in design-build and someone whose influence on local design will be felt for decades to come. McGranahan died Dec. 22 from complications stemming from a fall on ice three days before. He was 73.

A memorial service was held earlier this month for McGranahan at the Sharon M. McGavick Student Center at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood. There was room for 500 people, but the chairs quickly filled and people gathered around tables in the back, said Michael McGavock, a principal at McGranahan Architects, the firm McGranahan started in 1968 as James R. McGranahan Architects.

“Many of his clients turned into long-term friends, and that's a testament I think to the kind of man he was,” McGavock said.

Over the years, McGranahan's firm has been known by many names: McGranahan Messenger Associates (which McGranahan led along with Lyn Messenger), MMA, McGranahan Partnership and now McGranahan Architects. The firm designed the Tacoma Dome, the Department of Ecology headquarters in Lacey, the Pierce County Jail (along with HOK) and the World War II Memorial in Olympia, along with Olympia sculptor Simon Kogan.

McGranahan retired in 1997, but was still active at the office, dropping by periodically and consulting for select clients like the Puyallup Fair and the University of Washington.

“Jim's entire life was touching people,” said Gary Chandler, who was hired by McGranahan in 1981 and went on to lead the company until his own retirement in late 2007.

“How he managed both his family and career is beyond me, but he was constantly reaching out, making contact with people... constantly working at getting to know people and networking,” Chandler said. “I can't think of a client that didn't end up being fond of him after they had a chance to work with him.”

McGranahan was a prolific architect, said Blake Bolton, a principal at McGranahan Architects, but he really thrived on collaboration and encouraging others.

“He was very gracious in the way that he approached architecture, and he was not and didn't teach us ever to be prima donnas or star designers,” said Bolton, who knew McGranahan for 22 years. “He always was inviting people to collaborate, and realized the sum of a lot of people's input allowed us to create something that none of us individually could have come up with.”

McGranahan was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, was active in the AIA Southwest Washington chapter and was a representative of the NW and Pacific Region. He was also active in the Rotary Foundation and with pro-bono projects.

McGranahan was also a trailblazer, Chandler said.

“He had the most incredible nose for new work,” Chandler said. “He was a real pioneer in public sector design-build; he blazed a trail that everybody else followed.”

The Tacoma Dome project was design-build, along with Merit Construction Northwest, as was the Department of Ecology building, along with Mortenson Construction. McGranahan later wrote a design-build column for the DJC's A&E page.

McGranahan also helped the firm to become a major player in educational projects, said John Wegener, now a principal at BLRB Architects. Wegener was hired as an intern architect at McGranahan's firm in 1976 when it had only four employees, including Messenger and McGranahan.

“I was just fresh out of school and I was given a lot of opportunities to work on a lot of things,” Wegener said. “(McGranahan's) door was always open and it didn't just have to be business type situations.”

The firm has now designed more than 300 educational projects, both K-12 and higher education. It has won more than 50 design awards. McGranahan Architects now has 33 employees, and its 2008 revenues were just over $9 million.

McGranahan is survived by his wife, Merri Ellen, his children, Kathi and Kendra, and his step-children, Steve and Laura. He is also survived by grandchildren Tyson, Brandon, Tyler, Aly, Max, Sarah and Laney, and his sisters, Kay and Patty. Preceding him in death are Marcia, his first wife, and Kevin, his son.

Online tributes can be left for McGranahan's family at the Mountain View Funeral Home's Web site at http://www.mountainviewtacoma.com/home.html by clicking on “Online Tributes” on the left-hand side of the page, and then typing “McGranahan” in the search box.

 

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Shawna Gamache can be reached by email or by phone at (206) 219-6518.