Paul Hayden Kirk (1914-1995) was a modernist American architect based in Washington. As a child Kirk contracted polio which left him with limited use of one of his arms and caused him to walk with a limp. He recieved an architecture degree from the University of Washington in 1937 and started his own architecture firm in 1939. He later established a partnership with architect James J. Chiarelli in 1944 and named their firm Chiarelli & Kirk. Chiarelli & Kirk designed the Henderson Camp Lodge as well as the Crown Hil Medical-Dental Clinic in Seattle, the Hammack House in North Edmonds, and the Dr. Schueler House in Port Angeles. After leaving Chiarelli & Kirk, Kirk's residential work in the 1950s earned him national attention and has been widely published. In 1959 he was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and in 1976 he was elected an Associate member of the National Academy of Design, in 1994 he became a full Academician.
The Henderson Camps were founded by Frank and Lucile Henderson on San Juan Island in 1935. When the camp moved to Sperry Peninsula on Lopez Island in 1946, Paul Hayden Kirk was hired to design the new Lodge and Shower Houses. Over the next several years Kirk designed several more buildings, along with the outdoor pool, for the camp: the pool was built in 1953, the Cooks' Quarters in 1954, the Health Center & Boys' Wash house in 1956 and the Caretaker's House in 1962.
The Hendersons retired in 1966 and the camp reopened in 1968 as Camp Nor'wester. In 1996, Sperry Peninsula was sold to Paul Allen and the camp had to relocate, eventually finding a home on Johns Island in the northwest corner of the San Juan Islands. Some of the buildings were barged to Johns Island after the sale, including the Cooks' Quarters, which is now used for program support and storage, and the Health Center, which is still in use. The main Lodge was demolished after Sperry Peninsula was sold but a new lodge was built in 2000 by architect John Paul Jones, who based his design on the original Kirk plans. The Boys' and Girls' Shower Houses were demolished in 1997 by the new owners of Sperry Island. The Caretaker's House was not moved to Johns Island and is also thought to have been demolished by the new owners of the island.
Photographs showing interior of Henderson Camps Lodge & outdoor pool, Health Center, the Girls' & Boys' Shower Houses, Caretaker's House and the main Lodge under construction. Also included are small architectural drawings on lined tablet paper are drafts of building plans for the lodge on lined paper. The drawings are by Paul Hayden Kirk
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Status of creator's copyrights is unknown; restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Any rights owned by Camp Nor'wester transferred to UW. Users are responsible for researching copyright status before use.
Donor: William (Bill) G. Horder for Camp Nor'wester, November 21, 2016.
Processed by Allison Lambrecht, 2021; Katarina Volchek, 2021.
The main portion of the lodge was demolished after the 1996 sale of Sperry Peninsula.
The lodge was demolished in 1996 after the sale of Sperry Peninsula.
The fireplace in the offices backed up to the fireplace in the main lodge. The office was moved to Johns Island after the sale of Sperry Peninsula in 1996 and later demolished in 2016.
The lodge was demolished in 1996 after the sale of Sperry Peninsula.
The girls' shower house was demolished in 1997 by the new owners of Sperry Peninsula
The boy's shower house was demolished in 1997 by the new owners of Sperry Peninsula.
The pool and lodge were demolished around 1997 by the new owners of Sperry Peninsula. The office and the kitchen, which were part of the lodge, were moved to Johns Island after the sale.
The Health Center moved to Johns Island after the sale of Sperry Peninsula and is still in use. It was remodeled in 2015.
The caretaker's house was not moved after the sale of Sperry Peninsula in 1997, unknown if it was demolished by the new owners.