September 15, 2000

Baugh founder dies

Larry Baugh, founder of local construction industry giant Baugh Construction, died of natural causes on Sept. 13 at the age of 90.

Baugh

Baugh spawned a company that has grown to employ about 900 people in the Puget Sound. The company has been the general contractor for a lengthy roster of notable projects, including the Bellevue Square Mall, Benaroya Hall and the new Museum of Glass in Tacoma.

The day before Baugh died, parent company Baugh Enterprises announced plans to merge with Skanska USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Skanska AB, a Swedish-based construction company. Baugh Enterprises will remain locally managed and will operate as an independent firm.

He established Baugh Construction in 1946, "starting with a pick-axe and a shovel," said Carol Allison, an employee who has known him for many years. "He was such a kind, gentle, caring person, like he had the world by the tail," she said.

Born in Hastings, Neb., Baugh graduated in 1931 from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, where he obtained a degree in civil and structural engineering. After graduating, he moved to Texas to be with his brother, and there he worked on the Whitney Dam on the Brazos River. In 1940, he moved to Seattle, where he worked for Sims Drake, a civil engineering company. During World War II, he conducted pioneering engineering work that helped uncover oil fields in Venezuela.

The company, which in its early days operated out of Baugh's basement, focused on residential and small commercial projects. Classified advertising from the 1940s shows the company offering construction services at $3.50 a square foot.

Baugh landed its first million-dollar project a decade later with construction of an addition to Ballard High School in Seattle. In the '60s, the company won a $16 million contract, its largest at the time, to build the north campus of Seattle Community College. During the 1960s, Baugh also picked up new clients, such as The Boeing Co., for which it has constructed numerous buildings.

The firm's other major projects during Baugh's reign include The Financial Center, Northgate Shopping Center and Swedish Hospital in downtown Seattle.

Baugh retired in 1976, the same year the company became employee-owned. As honorary chairman of the board, he remained an advisor and consultant to the construction company.

"That was his life's work," said his son Gary, who owns Baugh Construction and Engineering, a separate company in Anchorage. Gary Baugh described his father, who lived in Bellevue, as an avid photographer and traveler who enjoyed spending time with his family. His survivors include his wife, Lois, children Gary, David and Judith, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and his nephew Bob.

He was a lifelong member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Associated General Contractors and the Washington Society of Professional Engineers. The latter honored him in 1976 as Engineer of the Year.

Visitation will be held from 1-7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17 at Green's Bellevue Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 18 at St. Peter's United Methodist Church, 17222 N.E. Eighth St. in Bellevue. In memory of Larry Baugh, contributions may be sent to The Salvation Army, 925 E. Pike St., Seattle, WA 98112.