12 REFLEXION | 2021-22 | AIA Utah That is one thing that I personally didn’t embrace. I never felt I had the time to dedicate. I have fifteen calls to make, and I am not going to sit here at this computer and learn how to draft. In retrospect, that doesn’t bother me a bit. We have so many bright people who do that and far surpass anything I would do. Which is a bit counter to the way I looked at life. I always said, “If I have to drop back, if we have to lose every person in this firm, can I still do it?” Well, yeah, but I would have survived with pencil and paper or ink and paper. In the last ten or fifteen years, I have watched dozens of firms do the same things we did, different ways and different people, and build excellent firms. I think we have an incredible community of architects that can meet any challenge. I am disappointed to see some of this work come to town being done by outside firms. The contractors who grew along with us are (mostly) able to build these. But they are not looking to our community for our design. There is plenty of work going on, everybody is busy, but when I see some of the tallest buildings downtown, I’d like to see that we are, or somebody else, is doing them, not some firm from somewhere else in the country. What do you think makes a good building, and can you name a few really good buildings in Utah? • The City and County Building. I am glad we saved it. I was chair of the Landmark Committee when there were discussions about what was going to happen with that building. They had to come up with $35 million, and many people said tear it down, build us a new building like the Church Office Building. There wasn’t a lot of traction there, but this was presented. We finally grew as a community to say we are saving these treasures. • And, of course, the Capitol; it has gone through a major renovation, and it is going to be here for a long, long time to come. • In my own faith, the Cathedral of the Madeleine is a jewel of this community. • One that always comes to mind is Symphony Hall. That one has stood the test of time. I think its context makes that a great building. • The context of the Natural History Museum makes that a great building. • A GSBS project, the Speed Skating Oval: I think that is world-class architecture. It fulfilled its mission in 2002. • The Public Safety Building is a favorite of mine. If I went back and asked what made them great, I think: how did the project go with the client and the people it represents? Did some of those get designed and built in spite of the client? I never believed in that. I think we have an incredible community of architects that can meet any challenge. — continued from page 11 What would you say to someone following in your footsteps quite literally and wants the class, style and composure you guys had? It is time for you to make it your own. This profession changes, personalities change, our community changes, clients are changing. Advice for a young architect? Architecture is a tough profession, particularly as a young practitioner. You are going to school, you wonder how to apply what you have learned, is the economy going to accept you? Is there going to be anything left by the time I have put in my seven years? It is a profession that can leave you hanging for a year or two while the economy takes a dip. You have to be ready to say, “This is what I want to do; I see my niche,” and you give it everything you’ve got, because it will suck up everything you got – all your time, all your energy – if you let it. And then you will find that you have to balance that with your other life, your family: your partner, your spouse. And you have to find a way to keep that in balance. That will probably be the biggest struggle you’ll have. Last thoughts? My job was to go out and to create a presence in the community. I hadn’t been a member of the AIA. So, I became an AIA member, an active one, and expanded that to some pretty healthy responsibilities within the AIA – the National Board, Board of NAAB, 18 years on the Documents Committee. And through that, I was able to help accomplish a lot for the profession on a national basis. While that was all happening, I met hundreds of men and women across the country with whom I got to share my experience and they with me. A number of those we partnered with on work because we had mutual respect for one another, and they brought something to the table that we didn’t have. I cherish that part of my career. Very much. It was something that my wife shares with me, and she has friends within that circle of professionals that we still have today. It. That was a big part of my life. It was very rewarding. b To watch the full interview, please scan the QR Code. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0OrK1jKvKo
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