April 8, 2025

Mahlum Architects mourns passing of former partner

Mahlum

Mahlum Architects on Friday announced the passing of John Edward Mahlum, a former partner of the firm. Mahlum passed away on March 20 at the age of 85.

John Edward Mahlum was the son of Edward K. Mahlum, a Seattle architect who established his practice in 1948. He studied architecture at the University of Washington, earned a master's degree from Columbia University, and served two years in the Army before returning to Seattle.

In 1966, he joined his father's firm, which later became Mahlum & Mahlum Architects, then Mahlum & Nordfors, and eventually Mahlum Architects, now with offices in Seattle and Portland.

Throughout his career, Mahlum played a key role in shaping the firm's portfolio of institutional facility designs, including projects for major educational and health care organizations across the Puget Sound region. He also helped establish the firm's culture, which “envisions a world where healthy human and environmental systems thrive.”

Mahlum served as president of AIA Seattle in 1979 and became a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1983 in recognition of his contributions to the profession and society. He also served as a trustee of the Seattle Architectural Foundation, on the UW Department of Architecture Professionals Advisory Council, and as a trustee of the Nordic Heritage Museum.

He retired in 1999.

In a news release mourning the loss, Mahlum Architects honored Mahlum for his enduring contributions to the firm, “from the name our firm still carries 25 years after his retirement to the values and purpose he helped establish — principles that continue to guide our work today.”

John Edward Mahlum is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Annette and Jaime Smith, and their two sons, Karl and Calvin Smith of Shaw Island; his son Paul Mahlum and husband Francisco Javier Soto of Seattle; and his son Edward Mahlum and his three sons, Nathaniel, Theodore, and Phineas Mahlum of Seattle.

Mahlum Architects currently has a staff of 85 individuals serving the healthcare, preK-12 education, higher education, and student housing markets.