Born and raised in Washington, architect Richard “Dick” Wayne Hobbs rose to national prominence over the course of a 40+ year career culminating in his work with the National AIA office in Washington, D.C.

Hobbs was born on October 29, 1940, and attended Ballard High School. He was an outstanding track athlete high school and was selected to the All-City track team. His interest in architecture and track followed him from high school to the University of Washington where he received a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1964. He then continued his studies in New York graduating from Columbia University in 1967 with a master’s degree in architecture.

Upon graduation he returned to the Pacific Northwest and opened his own firm, Richard W. Hobbs Associates. Early projects include the James Martenson House on Mercer Island (1968); and a vacation home on Quartermaster Harbor on Vashon Island (1969). By 1969 Hobbs had asked David H. Fukui to join him in a partnership. Together, the two University of Washington graduates formed a powerful team which pushed architectural designs in the Pacific Northwest. The team garnered eight Seattle AIA design awards within a 15-year period; six within a three-year time span.

By the early 1980s, the Hobbs/Fukui firm was among a hot group of local architectural firms dubbed the “Gang of Five” by the Seattle Weekly (others included Olson-Walker, Hewitt-Daly, Calvin-Gorasht, and Schorr-Miller). The Weekly noted that the groups were reimagining “a downtown Seattle worth living in” with their “what-if” concepts and designs that ran as a series in the newspaper. Their concepts influenced the city’s design and spurred cultural conversations.

Hobbs/Fukui Associates were firm believers in the “Design Process,” researching every aspect of a project and how it would affect the entire environment around a site before the actual designing of the project began. This included study of topography, traffic patterns, and zoning; and for public projects, they heavily involved the community.

The firm is perhaps best remembered for their unique homes, which often incorporated 45 degree angles in plan and elevation. Notable projects include the Dr. Gene O. Graham House in Bellevue (1969, AIA Merit Award, Seattle Times / AIA Home-of-the-Month June 1969 & Home of the Year); the Fred O. Paulsells, Jr. House at the Useless Bay Colony on Whidbey Island (1970, Seattle Times / AIA Home-of-the-Month June 1970); the Dr. Harold B. Leland House, (1971, Seattle Times / AIA Home-of-the-Month Nov 1971); the John H. Strasburger House on Mercer Island (1970, Seattle Times / AIA Home-of-the-Month April 1971); the David P. Haworth House on Mercer Island (1972, Seattle Times / AIA Home-of-the-Month March 1972); the Ken & Carolyn Martin House in Lake Sammamish (1972, Seattle Times / AIA Home-of-the-Month April 1972); David Fukui’s own house (1973, Seattle Times / AIA Home-of-the-Month, Dec 1973 & Home of the Year, also featured in House & Home, July 1975); and Richard Hobbs’s own house (1975) which was one of 20 awards of excellence noted by Architectural Record Magazine after receiving a “Builders of our Community” Environmental Award (1975) and Seattle AIA Merit Award. Later it received praise in the 1979 book, Affordable Houses Designed by Architects.

Notable commercial projects include Seattle Fire Station No. 34 (1971, featured in Architectural Forum -1974); King County Administration Pedestrian Tunnels Graphics Package (1972); the Red Barn Ranch (1973) which was part of Seattle’s Model Cities Program; a 20-story tower and two lower towers at the north end of Pike Place Market (1977); addition to the Clarence H. “Hec” Edmundson Pavilion at UW (1979, with Decker/Barns); and the Viewland/Hoffman Electrical Receiving Substation (1979 with artists Andrew Keating, Sherry Markovitz, and Buster Simpson), which won a Washington State Aggregates & Concrete Association Merit Award.

In 1982 the firm added William H. Davison as principal and the name was changed to Hobbs- Fukui-Davison. Additional change came when the three partners became associated with another firm, Decker Associates. This limited joint-venture relationship focused on health facility design and planning. Jon H. Decker serving as managing partner under the firm name of Decker/Hobbs/Fukui/Davidson. During this era, notable designs included the award-winning Pier 48 Information and Observation Center (1982, Seattle AIA Honor award); the King County Fire District No. 4 station expansion in Shoreline (1983); an expansion of Port Angeles Hospital (1983); and the Robert McConkey, Jr. House on Lake Tapps (1986, Seattle Times / AIA Home-of-the-Month: May 1986 & Home of the Year).

For reasons unknown, in 1986, the firm was split into separate groups. The Hobbs Architecture Group mainly focused on working with large scale developments and financial institutions. Fukui specialized in health care and laboratory facilities with the help of Davison.

Following a term as AIA Seattle President in 1985, he chaired “Celebrating Architectural Diversity,” at the 1985 Conference of the AIA Northwest Region, held in Vancouver, B.C. He was then elected to serve on the AIA National Board of Directors (1987-89) representing the AIA NW+Pacific Region and went on to serve 10 years on the AIA National staff as Vice President for Professional Practice, and two years as AIA Resident Fellow for Marketplace Research. In his national endeavors, he played key roles in the development of the AIA Continuing Education program and prepared more than 100 articles in AIArchitect on the changing practice of architecture. He also lectured widely and was often quoted in newspapers across the U.S.

For a time, he also served as adjunct associate professor at the University of Hawaii School of Architecture, and helped establish and taught in the University of Washington’s Design Firm Leadership and Management program. He also served on the Washington State University Advisory Board, and taught courses there.

In his private role as a strategic advisor, Hobbs has served as a consultant to numerous firms within the design community, under the business name of Strategy Designs Inc.

In 2002, he and his wife Lynne returned from Washington, D.C. to the Roche Harbor home he designed for the family in 1986.

– Michael C Houser