Born June 9, 1923, Donn Mueller Sibold grew up in Seattle. His formal education was interrupted by WWII where he served in the South Pacific and China as Design Section Leader for the Engineers Battalion of the U.S. Marine Corps rising to the level of Lieutenant. Returning to school on the GI Bill, Sibold graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 1947. While finishing up his studies and upon graduation, he worked for noted architect B. Marcus Priteca (November 1947 to March 1948) and then took a job as an estimator and field engineer for the Lease & Leigland Company.

With formal training and on-the-ground experience, Sibold was licensed by the State of Washington (No. 522) on August 4, 1949. That year, he moved to Olympia and began his architectural career as the in-house architect for the Washington State Parks Commission. While there, projects include a ranger residence for Camano Island State Park (1954); a bath house for Wenberg State Park (1954); and a ranger residence and kitchen shelter at Mount Spokane State Park (1953).

His stint in Olympia however was short. In 1954 Sibold formed a partnership with Robert H. Green, a fellow University of Washington graduate in Seattle. Known projects by the firm of Green, Sibold & Associates are limited to the Price Hardware Co. Store (1955); a Thriftway Store (1955) in West Seattle; the J.C. Penney Store (1955) in Renton; and the Paul Bunyan Shopping Center (1958) in Kingston.

For reasons unknown the Green and Sibold partnership was dissolved, and Sibold formed a new partnership with Harold J. Nesland in 1961.  Projects by the firm of Sibold & Nesland include a remodel for American Federal Savings & Loan (1963) in Tacoma, a home at 3339 NW Windolph Lane in Olympia (1962), the midway Community Covenant Church (1963), and the Neo-Expressionist Capitol Savings & Loan (1963) in Olympia.  Sibold maintained an office in Olympia until 1963 and Nesland remained in Seattle.

For reasons unknown, by 1965 the two parted ways and established independent firms. Known work attributed to Sibold’s later career include the master plan of Conifer Park development (1967) in Snohomish County, a renovation of the Public Safety Building (1971) in downtown Seattle, the Cucina Del Lago Restaurant (c.1980) on Lake Chelan, and the Lake Chelan Shore Condominiums (1980-81).

Sibold passed away on October 19, 2013 in Bremerton at the age of 90.

– Michael C Houser