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Ibsen A. (Ibsen Andreas) Nelsen papers, 1930-2001

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Nelsen, Ibsen A. (Ibsen Andreas)
Title
Ibsen A. (Ibsen Andreas) Nelsen papers
Dates
1930-2001 (inclusive)
Quantity
20.5 linear feet
Collection Number
XOE_CPNWS0057nelsen (collection)
Summary
Ibsen A. (Ibsen Andreas) Nelsen was a well-known Seattle-based architect and influential figure in American art and architecture. The Ibsen A. (Ibsen Andreas) Nelsen papers include the plans, drawings, contracts, photographs, newspaper clippings, slides, and microfiche relating to the buildings he designed from the early 1950s to 2000.
Repository
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English , Japanese.
Sponsor
Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Ibsen Nelsen was a well-known Seattle-based architect and influential figure in American art and architecture. He was born in Ruskin, Nebraska in 1919 to a Danish immigrant father who worked as a cabinet maker. He served in the army during WWII in the Pacific theater and earned 2 Bronze Stars. Upon his return he married his life partner, Ruth Hanawalt with whom he had four children. He attended the University of Oregon where he earned his degree in architecture in 1951. He then moved to Seattle and began his architecture career.

Nelsen is best known for his design of Seattle’s Museum of Flight, the Stewart House and Inn at the Market in the Pike Place Market, Merrill Court townhouses, and many of the buildings on Western Washington University’s campus in Bellingham. However, Nelsen also designed many smaller projects including personal residences that earned him accolades. Nelsen’s home that he designed and built on Vashon Island, which he called Island Farm, reflects his style: an eye for modernity blended with a reverence for the past.

Nelsen was also vitally involved with his community and served on many boards. His interests centered upon historic preservation and urban renewal in Seattle. Ibsen Nelsen died in 2001.

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Content Description

The Ibsen A. Nelsen papers (1930-2001) include the plans, drawings, contracts, photographs, clippings, slides, and microfiche from the buildings he designed. They span from the early 1950s to 2000 documenting his career as an architect in Seattle. Some of his more prominent designs include the Pacific Museum of Flight, the Stewart House and Inn at the Market in the Pike Place Market, Merrill Court townhouses, and Bond Hall, Arntzen Hall, the Northwest Environmental Studies Center on Western Washington University’s campus in Bellingham.

Among his personal papers are some biographical materials and articles written about Nelsen. Also, there are papers documenting his civic activism, the writing and speeches he gave, and the clippings he collected that reflect his interests. In addition, the collection includes his correspondence throughout his adult life.  The recipients include his family and well-known artists and architects Isamu Noguchi, Fred Bassetti, George Bartholick, Victor Steinbrueck, Mary Randlett, Morris Graves, and Tom Robbins.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Ibsen A. (Ibsen Andreas) Nelsen papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Ibsen A. (Ibsen Andreas) Nelson papers are organized in accordance with the following series and sub-series arrangement:

  • Series I: Personal Papers, 1930-2001
    • Sub-series 1: Biographical Papers, 1940-2001
    • Sub-series 2: Correspondence, 1954-2001
    • Sub-series 3: Writing and Research, 1960-2000
    • Sub-series 4: Community Activism, 1961-2000
    • Sub-series 5: Financial Papers, 1971-1999
    • Sub-series 6: Clippings and Publications, 1949-2000
  • Series II: Professional Papers, 1951-2000
    • Sub-series 1: Architectural Projects, 1946-2000
    • Sub-series 2: Administrative Records, 1953-1996
    • Sub-series 3: Slide Documentation of Projects, undated
    • Sub-series 4: Microfiche of Projects, undated
    • Sub-series 5: Project Binders, undated

Acquisition Information

In June 2002, Ruth Nelsen donated her husband's papers to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies.

Processing Note

The collection was processed by Rainbow Koehl in 2006.

Processing Note

About Harmful Language and Content

To learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content

Related Materials

Ibsen Nelsen's architectural drawings are housed at the University of Washington, Special Collections.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Finding aid prepared by Rainbow Koehl
2006

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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