Born on June 24, 1917, in the small northern Idaho community of Clarkia, architect Bernard Alvin Carmin grew up in Seattle. He attended Queen Anne High School and reportedly fell in love with drafting while attending high school. Upon graduation, he began studying architecture at the University of Washington but never received a formal degree. Polk Directories note that Carmin was working as a handyman in 1939 at the age of 22. However, by the next year he was working as a draftsman for architect B. Dudley Stuart, and then he took a job with architect Harry H. Nordquist. By 1943 Carmin was working with the engineering department at Boeing.

While in school he met his future wife, Doris V. Jensen, who was an interior design major. Their shared love of architecture was noted in the local newspapers when their wedding was announced, and their engagement announcement cards featured miniature drawing boards with T-squares and tiny blueprints of house plans. They were married on July 10, 1942.

When Carmin enlisted in the Army on June 19, 1943, his registration card noted he had one year of college. Stationed as an engineer in New Guinea, he was discharged in April of 1946, and returned to Seattle. Carmin immediately found work with this former boss, B. Dudley Stuart, whom by then had taken on a new partner, Robert Durham. With no formal training, but practical experience, Carmin followed his dream of becoming an architect. He passed the state architectural exam in 1948 (License No.471).

In 1952, Carmin decided to branch out on his own and formed a short-lived partnership with Burr Richards (1952-1957). Together the firm, known as Richards & Carmin, became known for their high-end, custom homes. Notable residential projects include the Roy Miller House on Mercer Island (1953); the Bart M. Stevens House in Bellevue (1954); the Robert M. MacRae House (1957); and the Dr. A. Irvine Morrison House (1957), both in Seattle.

Non-residential projects include a nursery wing for the Seattle Buddhist Church Nursery (1955, 1416 S Jackson); the Seattle House & Home Real Estate Office (1956); the A.H. Lundberg Office (1956) on Mercer Island; an office for Scandinavian Airlines System (1957); an educational wing for St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina (1958); and the Watson Clinic (1958) in Bremerton.

For reasons unknown, Carmin and Richards parted ways in 1957. Richards decided to open his own firm, and Carmin initially joined architect Donald N. McDonald, before moving to the architectural firm of Ralf E. Decker & Associates. However, by 1962 he decided to open his own practice. Known projects during the latter part of his career vary and include the Amarga Laguna Apartments on Bitter Lake (1964); a remodel of the Arctic Building in downtown Seattle (1965); the Superior Fast Freight Headquarters in the SoDo neighborhood (1966); Hutton, Smith and Angell Law Office (1966), the Union Federal Savings & Loan Association – Crossroads Branch in Bellevue (1968, demolished); an expansion of the Coleman & Riddell Building (1969); the Burfitt Office Building (1979, unbuilt); Union Federal Savings & Loan – West Seattle Branch (1974); and the Mercer Canal Building in the Bellefield Office Park of Bellevue (1983).

Outside of work Carmin liked to ski, bike and hike, and at the age of 68, he took up sailing. He passed away in Seattle on October 2, 1995, at the age of 78.

– Michael C Houser