Edwin Walker Houghton (1856-1927) was a leading designer of theaters in the Pacific Northwest during the early 20th century. E. W. Houghton was born in England to a family of architects and surveyors, receiving his architectural training in the practices of his family members. He emigrated to western Texas during the mid-1880s, settling near El Paso, before moving to Pasadena, California. Houghton established an independent architecture practice in Pasadena. It is unknown when he came to Seattle, though he became associated with Seattle architect Charles Saunders, who had also been working in Pasadena, in 1889. Their partnership, Saunders & Houghton, dissolved in September 1891, after which E. W. Houghton practiced independently. As an independent architect, he became associated with theater proprietor John Cort to design Seattle's Grand Opera House, 1898-1900, and went on to design a number of theaters throughout the Pacific Northwest for Cort. He began receiving larger commissions in Seattle, designing the Moore Theater and Hotel, 1903, and the Majestic Theatre, 1908-9. Houghton's practice became known as E. W. Houghton & Son in 1923 after employing his son, Gordon Houghton. He practiced under this name until his death in 1927. Houghton was a founding member of the Washington State Chapter of the AIA in 1894.
Drawings of several residences for members of the Kellogg family plus Amos Brown estate, Moore Theatre curtains and the Douglas building, all in Seattle.
Several of the architectural drawings are torn.
Access restricted: For terms of access, contact University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
Several of the architectural drawings are torn.
Restrictions might exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact the repository for details.
Donor: Peter Panluskiewicz and Wanda Cieslar, donated before September 2000.
Donor: David S. Easton, donated E.W. Houghton Architectural Drawings of the Douglas Building.
Processed by Kelly Daviduke, 2014.
E.W. Houghton Architectural Drawings of the Douglas Building merged with this accession, 2017.
Eight blueprints numbered 1-8. Includes basement, main floor, second floor and roof floor plans, and east, north, west and south exterior elevations.
Five blueprints numbered 1-6, missing number 3. Includes plat of sidewalks, basement floor plan, first and second floor plan, exterior elevations, detail drawings of millwork, section drawings of cupboard, staircase, millwork and railings.
Labor and materials specifications. Specifications erroneously refer to the residence as the "A. B. Kellogg" residence.
Alternate name: Brown Building.
Prior to 1903, the corner of 4th and Union in Seattle was occupied by the US Army's First Regiment Armory; the Post-Intelligencer Building later operated on the site for roughly 12 years. By about 1921, the Post-Intelligencer Building was largely demolished, leaving the original structure to be refaced and the interiors redone; after 1921 the building had become the Douglas, renamed for J. F. Douglas, Sr., the influential president of the Metropolitan Building Company (MBC). The building would stand at Fourth and Union until it was razed by the University of Washington in 1956.