As a part of our “Historic Talks in Historic Buildings” lecture series, the Washington Trust and Historic Seattle are pleased to present a special lecture in celebration of the 166th birthday of Kirtland Cutter, the architect who designed the Stimson-Green Mansion.

We will be joined by Lawrence Kreisman, retired Historic Seattle Program Director, for a special lecture about the relationship between Cutter and C.D. Stimson, the timber baron who commissioned the Mansion. Tickets for this lecture include a copy of Kreisman’s book, The Stimson Legacy, and a slice of birthday cake in celebration of Mr. Cutter’s birthday.

Additional books penned by Kreisman will be available for purchase, all proceeds of which will support the Valerie Sivinski Fund, an annual grant program that provides grants of up to $3,000 to organizations and community groups engaged in historic preservation around our state.

⏳ Time: 7:30 pm | Doors at 7:00 pm
📍Location: Stimson-Green Mansion | 1204 Minor Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 (parking available for purchase)
👤 Age Requirement: 21+ with valid ID (drinks available for purchase)
🚗 Parking: A first-come-first-serve lot is located beside the Mansion. Parking garage access is available for purchase at the ticket link.

 

Get Your Tickets

 

“Letters from an Architect: The Interior Design and Decoration of a turn-of-the-century Seattle Mansion,” presented by Lawrence Kreisman

Retired Historic Seattle Program Director Lawrence Kreisman shares the colorful story of the Stimson family and its impact upon urban architecture, popular taste, and cultural endeavors through the relationship that formed between C.D. Stimson and Spokane architect Kirtland Cutter between 1899-1901.

The tale reflects how western cities shed their early-day images of dirt streets and white clapboard cottages and slipped awkwardly but with great anticipation and excitement into the twentieth century American urban experience.

While Cutter was architect, he was equally committed to interiors and furnishings. His obsessive devotion to detail resulted in rooms that were historically derived stage sets for living and entertaining. His work set a precedent and offered a prototype that would be copied and embellished by a host of local designers in the first decade of the twentieth century.

Preserved correspondence, along with inventories and documentary interior photographs, provide a rare, complete picture of the design industry and designer/client relationships at the turn of the twentieth century. For Kirtland Cutter, this commission was his ambitious entry into the Puget Sound business, civic, and social community.

In addition to discussing Cutter’s relationship with Stimson, Kreisman will explore Cutter’s significant impact upon the architectural sophistication of Spokane through his long relationship with Louis Davenport, Spokane restaurant and hotel developer.

Meet the Speaker: Lawrence Kreisman

Lawrence Kreisman, Hon. AIA Seattle, was Program Director of Historic Seattle for 20 years (1997-2017). He has been recognized for significant work in bringing public attention to the Pacific Northwest’s architectural heritage and its preservation through courses, tours, exhibits, lectures, articles, and 11 books. These include The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest, co-authored with Glenn Mason, The Stimson Legacy: Architecture in the Urban West; and Made to Last: Historic Preservation in Seattle and King County, as well as hundreds of design features in The Seattle Times Pacific Northwest Magazine and national magazines Style 1900, American Bungalow, Arts & Crafts Homes and the Revival, Old House Journal, Old House Interiors, and Preservation. His most recent work was as author and editor of Elegance & Ambition Louis Davenport, Kirtland Cutter, and Spokane at the turn of the 20th Century, the catalog for The Davenport Legacy exhibition at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.

 

 

 

This event series is a part of our Thursdays at the Mansion community programming. Join us every Thursday evening at the Stimson-Green Mansion for more community events. Reduced ticket access to this lecture is supported by 4Culture.