Oregon’s Resort And Spa That Outshines All The Rest

Art and Architecture on the High Desert

A Report compiled by Bill Rhoades for Tribal Relations and Kah-Nee-Ta High Resort and Spa,

December 2002

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Table of Contents

Introduction……………………………………………....3

Pietro Belluschi…………………………………………..6

Wolff, Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca, Ritter…………………...8

Gary Larson………………………………………………11

Richard Beyer…………………………………………….14

Harold Balazs…………………………………………….16

Tom Hardy………………………………………………..18

Manuel Izquierdo…………………………………………20

William Bell……………………………………………....22

Appendices………………………………………………..23

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Introduction

The enduring grace and aesthetic appeal of Kah-Nee-Ta Lodge, and the resort in general for that

matter, speak volumes on behalf of the architects and artists who contributed to its innovative

design. As several of the original artisans have attested, the making of Kah-Nee-Ta Resort was a

special project. It was one of the first destination resorts in Oregon and people throughout the

region were abuzz during its construction. Newspaper and magazine articles from throughout the

Northwest, and as far away as Los Angeles and Chicago, praised the Confederated Tribes for their

foresight, while Warm Springs Tribal Council provided essential support. Secretary/Treasurer Ken

Smith and Kah-Nee-Ta Village Manager Ed Manion were also key figures for the tribes.

The prologue to any history of Kah-Nee-Ta Resort would have to include some notation regarding

the land purchase that made it all possible. The Confederated Tribes, having received restitution

for the inundation of Celilo Falls and ancestral fishing sites on the Columbia River, contracted

with Oregon State College (now Oregon State University) to evaluate the reservation’s economic

potential. Acting on the report from Oregon State and federal legislation allowing the tribes to

require lost lands, the Confederated Tribes purchased a hot springs and adjacent property on the

Warm Springs River. The 813 acre tract was acquired in 1962 for a price of $165,000. The

purchase included a swimming pool and barracks-like visitor accommodations, which were soon

replaced with an Olympic-sized pool and 24 modern cottages, designed by Jim Emerson of Hollis,

Johnston and Koch, a Portland-based architectural firm. The cabins were equipped with up-to-date

kitchens, fashionable skylights, tiled baths, wall-to-wall carpeting and interior decorations with

“an Indian theme.” The exterior cedar siding was slightly painted green to blend in with the

surrounding hills. Stevenson and Wickman of Salem were the general contractors.

The riverside development, costing an estimated $1 million, featured a bathhouse providing visitor

access to the area’s steaming, hot spring water. There was also a restaurant, trailer court,

campground and 21 teepees, a colorful aspect of the village that soon became a major attraction.

The pool, divided into three segments, drew water from the hot springs and the river, maintaining

a comfortable 80 degrees for swimmers. A sculpture of three bears, each holding a single salmon,

was commissioned for the pool and has become one of many signature artworks at the resort.

Manuel Izquierdo of Portland created the sculpture.

Phase I of Kah-Nee-Ta opened on May 30, 1964. Later that same year the village was flooded and

some of the buildings had to be replaced. A 1968 flood caused further damage and in 1996 a flood

destroyed most of the village structures. The village was rebuilt with a retaining wall along the

Warm Springs River to hold back future floodwaters. The new buildings were opened to the public

in 1997.

Celilo Falls, a traditional fishing area

for numerous tribes including the

Confederated Tribes of Warm

Springs.

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Phase II of the development is the focus of this report. The cornerstone of Phase II is

Kah-Nee-Ta Lodge, encompassing 38,000 square feet in the central structure and another

34,000 square feet in the guest rooms. The project was financed through a $2.5 million dollar

loan and matching grant from the Economic Development Administration. Construction began

in 1971 and the lodge opened in June 1972. The $5.1 million project required 3,400 yards of

concrete, 246,000 square feet of plywood and 130,000 board feet of cedar siding to complete.

Lawsone Construction of Portland was the primary builder. The sheer volume of materials is

impressive, but they are merely a means to express the architectural and artistic creativity of

those who made the vision a reality.

In June of 1973 the Portland Chapter of the American Institute of Architects presented the

Confederated Tribes, the architectural firm of Wolff, Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca, Ritter, and

consulting architect Pietro Belluschi with a 1st Honor Award. Many other awards would follow

and the word of Kah-Nee-Ta’s mystical lure would spread in the four directions as never before.

Gary Larson of Wolff, Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca, Ritter was

the chief designer.

The regional and national press soon discovered a trail to

Kah-Nee-Ta and shared innumerable glowing reports with

their readers. Reporters were taken in by the structure’s

stylish line and the way the lodge merged with the desert

backdrop. It was a unique and elegant arrangement; a

modern yet culturally sensitive building of striking

proportions. The popular arrowhead shape of the complex

was coincidental, but all other design elements were

thoughtfully planned. “We were told to create a beautiful

building that would look like the Indians had built it,” said

Brooks Gunsul in a 1973 interview for Portland Magazine.

By everyone’s account the central mission was

accomplished with great distinction. From the teepee-like beams towering over a three-story

fireplace, to the welded steel eagles soaring above the main entry, to the carved front desk

depicting Indian legends, to a central building design incorporating nearby landforms, the lodge

at Kah-Nee-Ta reveals artistic representations of a culture and a people who have survived on

the land for thousands of years, since time immemorial.

Kah-Nee-Ta Lodge established itself, almost overnight, as one of the leading resort hotels on the

West Coast. In addition to the magnificent architecture and splendid artworks, great attention

was paid to other details, crystal, china, and gold ware were commissioned through Oneida

Silversmiths. The original set of gold ware, a service for 24, was purchased at a cost of $35,000

to commemorate the lodge’s gala opening. Interior beams paneled ceilings of clear cedar and

ash made the transaction from rugged landscape to lavish accommodations a smooth one. Eye

catching details such as the Juniper Room lights, featured12 copper cylinders, each ending in a

globe of glass suspended at varying heights, added a touch of luxury.

Visitors were greeted at the door and offered a friendly welcome, as they walked over lush red

carpeting to register at the elaborately carved front desk. Human and animal figures carved in

oak by Richard Beyer of Seattle evoked the spirit of a centuries old culture, while enormous

windows overlooking a sheltered pool and adjoining waterfall offered a sense of grandeur. A

roaring fire, contained by a sculptured fireplace capable of holding log-sized sections of

ponderosa pine, added comfort, and a tank filled with live lobsters shipped in from the East

Coast illustrated the capabilities of the contemporary society. And there were human elements

that added to the flavor of this unique resort, as well.

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The first manager at the lodge was

Herbert Moller, a capable and rather

colorful personality of European

descent. An August, 1972 report from

the Bellingham (Washington) Herald

characterized Moller as, “an

unflappable Dane who was born in one

of Copenhagen’s most distinguished

hotels, The Palace, which his

grandfather owned and his father

managed.” The first chef was Alfonse

J.G. Thomas, who apprenticed in

Brussels, Paris and Zurich, before

creating culinary magic in England,

Morocco, Turkey and other exotic

locations around the world. Thomas prepared food for Dwight Eisenhower and Winston

Churchill and, as noted in an October edition of the Los Angeles Times, he was “a Belgian who

once cooked for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.”

The biographical information contained within this report provides a brief glimpse at the creative

forces brought together on the Kah-Nee-Ta project. Unfortunately, background information on

some contributors could not be located. A bibliography is included for each of the individuals

who are listed on subsequent pages. General information was obtained by searching the

Kah-Nee-Ta files for newspaper and magazine clippings, brochures and letters. Documents

found at Kah-Nee-Ta, list Richard Wiley of Lake Oswego as having painted portraits of the three

chiefs, Arvid Orbeck of Portland as having contributed paintings to guest rooms, and Heinz

Janders as the resort’s interior decorator. No additional information was found on any of these

men.

Resumes that were obtained for individuals

involved with the resorts design clearly illustrate

the magnitude and historical importance of the

Kah-Nee-Ta project. The resort has survived

floods, wildfires that burned within a few yards

from the lodge, and 30 years of public scrutiny.

Although somewhat altered by expansion and

remodeling, the original structure and many of its

key elements remain at the cornerstone of

Oregon’s first destination resort east of the

Cascade Mountains. As one drives along the

northern edge of the Warm Springs River and

looks towards the Mutton Mountains the creative

legacy of Kah-Nee-Ta Lodge strikes an

unwavering posture. In both literal and figurative

terms, it stands alone on the windswept hill.

Native Artwork surrounds the walls

of the resort. With pieces portraying

traditional Native American culture.

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Pietro Belluschi

“If he didn’t invent the vocabulary of the regional architecture of the Northwest, he certainly

perfected it.” Robert Frasca, architect.

Pietro Belluschi, consulting architect for Kah-Nee-Ta Lodge, was born in 1899 at Ancona, Italy.

During World War I he attained the rank of first lieutenant in the Italian Army. After the war, he

attended the University of Rome as an engineering student and received a one-year scholarship to

attend Cornell University at Ithaca, New York.

When his scholarship expired, he sought means of support in the United States and asked the

Italian Ambassador to help him secure employment out West. He subsequently moved to Idaho for

a short time and then moved to Portland, where he was hired by A.E. Doyle, the city’s top

architectural firm. He later said he was inspired by the “woods and wilderness” of the Northwest,

which he incorporated into his work.

With his talents as an architect blooming, Belluschi was selected to design a new art museum for

the city of Portland in the late-1920’s. His modern design focused on function rather than form and

city officials balked at his proposal. He sent the design along with a letter of explanation to Frank

Lloyd Wright, who supported the concept and helped to turn the tide in Belluschi’s favor. The new

Portland Art Museum was completed in 1932,

brining nationwide acclaim to the young

architect.

In the latter part of the 1930’s, Belluschi was

busy designing homes and churches,

primarily in the Portland area. Near the end of

World War II, he was hired to design one of

the first modern office buildings in Portland.

His design of the Equitable Insurance

Building in downtown Portland again brought

him national recognition and acclaim.

Markings from Native American

culture were imprinted in the cement

columns throughout the resort.

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In 1950, Belluschi was hired as dean of architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

(MIT) in Cambridge. During the late-1950’s, he designed the Pan Am Building in Manhattan,

New York. In 1959, he was selected to be on a prestigious team assembled to design the Lincoln

Center. Belluschi’s contribution was a design for the Julliard School of Music.

During the 1960’s Belluschi designed buildings for Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island and

St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, a seven-year undertaking. In 1969, he designed the Bank of

America in San Francisco and in the early-1970’s he designed Inner Harbor in Baltimore. He also

sat on the city’s architectural review board.

In 1973, Belluschi returned to Portland and designed six more churches over a 14-year period. He

designed his last house at 88 years of age. In 1991 he received the National Medal of Arts from

President Bush.

Belluschi died in Portland at 94 years of age.

Bibliography

Spiritual Space, UW Press, Meredith Clausan, 1992.

Modern American Architect, MIT Press, Meredith Clausan, 1994.

No Perfect Answers (video)- The Life and Architecture of Pietro Belluschi, G&L Productions,

1996.

The light fixtures in the Chinook

Grille were structured to look like

Huckleberries, a significant food

source for the Native Americans.

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Wolff, Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca, Ritter

The Portland architectural firm of Wolff, Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca, Ritter was selected to design

Kah-Nee-Ta Lodge based on the recommendation of Pietro Belluschi, who became a consultant

for the project. Belluschi had designed residential dwellings on the Deschutes River for Bob

Wilson and was well respected by the Warm Springs community. He was asked to design the

lodge at Kah-Nee-Ta, but declined because he was living on the East Coast and serving as dean of

architecture at MIT. Belluschi recommended Wolff, Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca, Ritter and the firm

was hired.

“The tribes called Pietro and he

recommended us,” said Robert

Frasca. “That’s how we got

involved.”

Frasca said he, Brooks Gunsul,

designer Gary Larson and project

manager Jay Gannon, were the

firm’s primary figures involved

with Kah-Nee-Ta. Frasca, the

firm’s head of design, brought

Larson to the forefront and they

worked closely together on the

plans. He remembers the central

design as being a sort of fort

surrounding the swimming pool,

the guest rooms creating walls to

keep the persistent local winds at

bay.

Like many of those involved with

the design and construction of

Kah-Nee-Ta Lodge, Frasca

remembers a commonality of

purpose. Many shared a vision of

what the project could be, which

raised enthusiasm and fostered an

atmosphere conducive to

creativity. There were frequent trips over Mount Hood to the

high desert, where artisans and construction crews were busy

brining the vision to life.

“It was a big deal at the time and we’d all go over there and

hang out,” said Frasca. “It was a special project.”

The hanging lights throughout the

lobby are shaped liked pinecones to

represent nature which is a big part

of the Native American life.

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Numerous presentations and progress reports were made along the way, which included Tribal

Council trips to Portland, and the occasional visit from Belluschi, who would fly out from Boston.

More frequently the architects drove to Warm Springs for meetings in Council chambers. Frasca

said Vernon Jackson was a key player during the early meetings, along with Owen Panner, who

was helping to look out for tribal interests. “The tribe was really putting their trust in us and

Panner was looking out for the tribe,” said Frasca. “Once they knew they were going to do our

best, we developed a very good working relationship.”

Frasca later designed a private

residence on the Deschutes River

for former Secretary/Treasurer

Ken Smith.

The firm, now known as the

Zimmer Gunsul Frasca

Partnership, is based in

Portland with offices in

Seattle, Los Angeles and

Washington D.C. They have

designed and built a diverse

portfolio of public and private

projects in settings ranging from

the urban centers of the Western

United States to small farming

communities and college

campuses across the country. The

firm has won numerous regional

and national awards over the years and in 1991 they earned the industry's highest honor, the

National Architecture Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects.

Selected Regional Projects

Oregon History Center, Portland International Airport (terminal expansions), Oregon Museum of

Science and Industry, Oregon Convention Center, Bellevue Regional Library, Bonneville Power

Administration Headquarters, Oregon Health and Science University Doernbecher Children’s

Hospital, Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center, Reed College Master Plan, Microsoft

Redmond West Campus, Washington State University Campus Development, Mary Stuart Rogers

Music Center at Willamette University, Safeco Redmond Campus, KOIN Center, Millennium

Tower, Westside Light Rail Corridor, and Exposition Park Master Plan.

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Selected Projects Outside the Northwest

California Science Center, Anderson Center Replacement Research Facility (University of

Texas), Replacement Facility at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, The Science Center (Williams

College), Mary Baker Russell Music Center (Pacific Lutheran College), Earth and Marine

Sciences Building (University of California), UCSD Cancer Center (University of California),

Medical Applied Science (Duke University), Bunting-Blaustein Cancer Research Building (The

John Hopkins University), Biology Building (Western Washington University), Duffield Hall

Advanced Science and Technology Initiative (Cornell University), Physical Sciences Research

Building (Ohio State University), Occidental College Master Plan.

Bibliography

Personal communication with Robert Frasca, October 2002.

Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership Web Page.

Frozen Music, Oregon Historical Society, Gideon Bosket and Lena Lencek, 1985.

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Gary Larson

Gary Larson was an architect with Wolff, Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca, Ritter when a resort on the

Warm Springs reservation was being planned. Vernon Jackson contacted Pietro Belluschi, who

was dean of architecture at MIT, and designer of two nearby houses on the Deschutes River, in

hopes of securing his services. Belluschi in turn contacted Norman Zimmer and Robert Frasca and

the Portland firm they were associated with. When the architects were hired, they selected Larson

to design the lodge.

“I got the privilege of designing the building,” said Larson. “ I did the building design and they

(Zimmer, Frasca and Belluschi) were my

mentors and critiquers.”

At the time of the construction, the only

other Oregon resort of note was the

Salishan (on the coast south of Lincoln

City), making Kah-Nee-Ta an extremely

important project, one that would focus a

great deal of attention on the tribes. The

architects met with Tribal Council on a

number of occasions to gain a better

understanding of one another and to

incorporate ideas being put forth by both

parties. Larson said the Council and all

of his associates including, Belluschi,

were very supportive.

“It was great working with Belluschi,” said Larson. “It was my idea to create a compound and he

was very supportive.”

Larson said the lodge was designed in response to the local topography. In creating a space that

would make good use of the local environment, he designed the lodge in a triangular shape typical

of surrounding landforms. “I wanted something big enough to make a statement within the context

of the landscape,” he said. “I wanted to enclose a piece of the hillside.”

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The north side of the lodge, which includes the main entry, is backed into the canyon on a south

facing slope, while most of the guest rooms are situated to take advantage of a stunning view

overlooking the Warm Springs River. The some-what oversized lobby was designed with the

grandeur of a bygone era in mind, and is reminiscent of classic buildings such as Timberline

Lodge. “I wanted to create a big gathering place,” said Larson, “like they had in the old-

fashioned lodges.”

As noted by a number of artisans who worked on the building, the atmosphere that prevailed

during construction of Kah-Nee-Ta was invigorating. Challenges were presented by the

somewhat isolated location and the unstable clay soils that required technical innovations to

anchor the foundation, but for the most part the project is remembered with great fondness, as a

meeting place for artistic talents. “It was really a fun time working with all the artists,” said

Larson. “It was a special project.”

Background

When this report was prepared in 2002, Gary Larson was a partner in the Portland-based firm,

Boucher Mouchka Larson (BML) Architects. During its first ten years BML completed projects

that included the Cooley Science Center at the Oregon Graduate Institute, Hewlett-Packard’s

new Building 4 in Vancouver, WA., Sony Disc Manufacturing building in Springfield, and

GranPac Foods/Showa Sangyo Food Processing and Office facility. The firm designed the

Corporate Headquarters Building Fir Lattice Semiconductor, a new medical office building and

parking structure for Kaiser Permanente, and the Ford Family Foundation Headquarters building

in Roseburg, recipient of an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Merit Award.

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Larson, a practicing architect for over 36 years, has been the recipient of more than 13 awards of

excellence for his design work. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Washington

State University in 1962 and began his career in the Boston offices of Kallman and Mckinnell

Architects, best known for their competition-winning Boston City Hall. The Convent of Holy

Names, produced during

his tenure with Walker

McGough Architects of

Spokane, Washington,

won the Progressive

Architecture first honor

award in the magazine’s

annual design awards

program for 1967. The

building was

subsequently given AIA

local, regional and

national awards for

design excellence.

Moving to Portland in

1968, he joined the

Wolff, Zimmer, Gunsul,

Frasca, Ritter

architectural firm,

becoming a partner in

1977. Projects during this period include the World Trade Center, the lodge for Kah-Nee-Ta Vaca-

tion Resort, Portland Veterans Administration Medical Center, the multi-use KOIN Center, and

projects for health care, commercial and institutional clients.

Larson moved to New York City in 1981 and in that same year was awarded a Fellowship in

Architecture at the American Academy in Rome. On his return to New York, he formed Parker

Larson Architects with offices in New York and Princeton, New Jersey. In 1990 he returned to

Portland to join Ray Boucher and Ken Mouchka in forming BML Architects. He is a member and

past chair of the Board of Visitors of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts at the University

of Oregon. In addition he has for a number of years provided design criticism for student studio

reviews and has served on several AIA Design Awards Juries. In addition to the lodge at

Kah-Nee-Ta, Larson designed the Tribal Administration Building in Warm Springs.

Bibliography

1.) Personal Communications, August and September 2002.

2.) Resume provided by the architect.

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Richard Beyer

Richard Beyer created the door pulls at the front entry, the bas-relief at the front desk, the large

sculpture on a mound above the swimming pool, and numerous images routed into the exterior

cedar siding and interior wood paneling, then painted. The door pulls are made of carved oak and

the relief at the front desk was carved from a 25 foot cedar log. The sculpture located in the central

courtyard was carved from a single piece of volcanic tuff unearthed when the swimming pool was

being excavated.

Most of the works tell a story or illustrate a myth of regional origin. The many facets of Coyotes

life are depicted in the large relief at the front desk. Two stories told in the carved oak door pulls

are “How Wildcat got the Tips of His Ears Blackened,” and “How Bears Became Boulders.” The

sculpture near the pool is of a coyote with her pups, one having the head of a human.

“Rich’s drawings and finished sculpture reveal an almost unique coupling of high artistic merit

with penetrating, good-humored commentary on our fumbling attempts to cope,” states Seattle

architect Fred Bassetti. “He illuminates, for all to see, facets of our being that we ourselves are

often not aware of. He makes us laugh that we may not cry.”

Beyer was born on July 26,1925 in Washington D.C and raised on the family farm in nearby

Fairfax, Virginia. He graduated from the local high school there and later served in the army

infantry, touring the European front during World War II. Beyer returned home to complete his

education after the war. He attended the University of Virginia, and earned a Bachelor’s degree

from Columbia University. He received a Master’s in education from the University of Vermont,

and PhD in economics from the University of Washington.

“Ultimately he left economics behind him, turning to art as his medium of truth,” said wife

Margaret Beyer. “Ideas came from many sources: personal feelings, history, poetry, folklore,

myths, the Bible and current events.

15

Beyer, along with his wife and their two children, moved to the Northwest in 1957, driving from

coast to coast in a second-hand Ford, pulling a U-Haul trailer. The family camped along the way

and turned the journey into an educational adventure. While studying at the University of

Washington, Beyer’s interest in art was sparked after creating a small toy for his son. Early

carvings, primarily in wood, provided the foundation for public commissions that eventually

followed. Largely self-taught as an artist, his early works were shown at the Seattle Public Market,

Edmonds Art Fair and other fairs throughout the area. Some of his first large sculptures were

carved in driftwood using a chainsaw. Later works were made using a variety of medium including

hand-carved wood, brick, granite, cast bronze, and aluminum.

Beyer received over 75 commissions during his career. Many are located in parks or at public

buildings in the Northwest. Other sculptures are located in the United States as far away as

Georgia and Virginia, and in Russia. He also created the 1978 cast aluminum sculpture “The Root

Digger” located just outside the Tribal Administration Building in Warm Springs.

Selected Commissions:

Central Washington University, St. Joseph’s Church (Roseburg, Oregon), Newport Library

(Bellevue), Kent City Hall, Western Washington University, Riverwalk Park (Columbus,

Georgia), Seattle University, downtown Bend (Oregon), Washington Park Zoo (Portland), and the

Metropolitan Transit-

Administration Building

(Anchorage, Alaska).

Bibliography

1) The Art People Love,

Washington State Univer-

sity Press, Margaret Beyer,

1999.

16

Harold Balazs

Harold Balazs designed the fireplace at Kah-Nee-Ta, which was created by cutting Styrofoam

forms with a band saw and shaping them so they would conform to the design. Concrete was

poured into the forms and later sandblasted to create the desired surface. Balazs also embossed

several columns around the building. Another contribution was a large, 20-foot long, hooked rug

or tapestry that was created for the restaurant. His original design was sent to Japan, where the rug

was hooked by a local craftsperson. Balazs remembers creating screen prints for several rooms, as

well. “All of my recollections of the project are very pleasant,” said Balazs. “Everyone was very

nice.”

Balazs was born in Westlake, Ohio in 1928. He grew up in a rural setting and participated in a

variety of activities such as hunting, fishing and basketball. His interest in art was sparked at an

early age and his strong desire to make a living at his art allowed him to preserve in a region that

that does not support many full-time artists. He came to the Northwest in 1948 and studied at

Washington State College (now Washington State University), later exhibiting artwork in Seattle,

Portland and Spokane. He has always been an innovator, using his background in construction and

experience working in his father’s sheet metal shop to work through problems or create his own

tools. Balazs has received a number of awards and purchase prizes, including the American

Institute of Architects” National Craftsman Medal (1966). “The purpose of art is to create

wonder,” says Balazs.

He is often referred to as an

architectural sculptor because he has

executed many commissions for public

and private buildings. He works with a

variety of media, including steel, cloth,

wood, concrete, brick, copper, rock and

clay. Most of his small pieces are in

copper, skillfully executed and with a

characteristic silhouette, crisp and

geometric. He often employs

letterforms, mixed, as he says, with a

“mechanical whimsy.” He is also a

painter and printmaker.

Balazs created the main lobby’s

fireplace by pouring concrete into

Styrofoam molds.

17

Balazs, a resident of Mead, Washington,

may have executed more architectural art

commissions during the later half of the

20th century than any other artist in the

Northwest. He says he likes to get involved

with a project early-on, so his work

becomes an integral part of the building,

rather than an add-on. Carved brick murals

were completed at the Richland and Burien

libraries and the Bell Telephone building

in Spokane. Other large commissions of

note were completed for the Seattle Kings

Dome (now at King County Courthouse),

Seattle Pacific College, Spokane’s

Riverfront Park, and Spokane Opera

House. Balazs has done numerous other

commissions for public buildings and

churches in Oregon, Washington, and

Alaska. For many years he and his wife

Rosemary sold original artworks from their

shop in Spokane. He served three terms as

a Washington State Arts Commissioner and

helped draft the state’s “percent for art”

legislation.

Balazs was named a “Living Treasure” by

Northwest Designer Craftsmen. “Balazs” contributions to architecturally integrated art, often

utilizing new materials and techniques, helped revive the importance of the individual craftsman

at a time when civic architecture seemed its most anonymous. His collaborations with important

regional architects have made an indelible

impression on Northwest architecture,” states a

Designer Craftsmen description of the artist.

Bibliography

1) Paintings and Sculpture of the Pacific Northwest,

Portland Art Museum, 1959.

2) Ceramics in the Pacific Northwest, University of

Washington Press, 1979.

3) Personal communications, August and September

2002.

18

Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy was born in Redmond, Oregon in 1921. He lived at Terrebonne, Hay Creek Ranch,

Walterville and Medford between 1923 and 1933. He then moved to Corvallis and eventually

studied at Oregon State College (now Oregon State University). He later attended the University

of Oregon, where he received his BS in General Art in 1942. Hardy served in the U.S. Infantry

and U.S Air Force as a 1st Lieutenant in Hawaii and Guam. After his military service he returned

home and worked at the Oregon Ceramic Studio (now Contemporary Crafts Gallery). He spent

the years 1946-51 on the family farm in Walterville logging, farming and painting. At the end of

this period he began work on his MFA and began showing his artwork publicly. He completed

his Master of Fine Arts in Direct Metal Sculpture and Lithography in 1952. He taught at the

University of Oregon, University of British Columbia, San Francisco Art Institute, Tulane

University , Reed College, and University of Wyoming. In 1961 he had a one-person

retrospective at the Portland Art Museum. Throughout his career he has used metal ingeniously

to give the essential

characteristics of a great

variety of animals.

‘There are to me two

exciting and important

moments in the process of

creating a sculpture: the

first is when the idea

comes and I have an

image of what I think the

piece is going to look like.

The second is the when

the sculpture is almost

completed and I know

what it is going to look

like. Between these two

instants may lie days or

years, and degrees of

drudgery and hard labor in

keeping with the

material being used and

the scale of the work,”

said Hardy.

Tom Hardy’s welded steel

sculpture of two eagles is

located near the front

entrance to the main

lodge.

19

Selected Exhibitions: Portland Art Museum, Contemporary Crafts Gallery, Oregon State

University, University of Oregon, Denver Art Museum, Seattle Art Museum, Metropolitan

Museum of Art (New York), Cincinnati Museum of Art, Willamette University, Coos Art

Museum, San Francisco Museum of Art, Kraushaar Galleries of New York, Museum of Modern

Art (New York), Stanford University Art Gallery, University of California at Los Angeles Gallery,

Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), Ohio State University School of Fine Arts,

University of British Columbia Gallery, Brazil Museum of Art (Sao Paulo), Nebraska Art

Association, Pennsylvania Academy, Rio de Janeiro Museum of Art, American Federation of Arts,

Chico State College, San Jose State College, Pensacola Art Center, Columbia Art Museum (South

Carolina), American Museum of Natural History (New York), Detroit Art Institute.

Selected Commissions: Courthouse Plaza Foundation (Eugene), United States National Bank

(many locations), Lloyd Center, Lincoln High School, Portland State University, Hilton Hotel

(Portland), University of Oregon, U.S Federal Building (Juneau), Dorothy Chandler of Memorial

Music Pavilion (Los Angeles), Cascade College, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church (Roseburg), Eastern

Washington College, Valley River Shopping Center (Eugene), Caitlin Gabel School, Kah-Nee-Ta

Lodge, Western Forestry Center, Salem Center Public Library, Oregon Historical Society, Salem

Civic Center, Timberline Lodge.

Bibliography

1.) Paintings and Sculptures of the Pacific Northwest, Portland Art Museum, 1959.

2.) Tom Hardy, A Retrospective Exhibition, Contemporary Crafts Gallery, 1976.

20

Manuel Izquierdo

Portland sculpture Manuel Izquierdo created three bears located at the Kah-Nee-Ta Village

swimming pool. The sculpture commission was originally awarded to Bennett Welsh, who

operated a large ceramics business near Jantzen Beach. Welsh was unable to take the job and

asked Izquierdo, a former classmate at the Museum Art School, if he would be interested.

“He turned it over to me,” said Izquierdo. “They wanted him to do it, but he was too busy and I

don’t think he could have done it.”

The bears, each sitting down and holding a salmon, are independent of one another. The salmon

point away from the bears and their mouths are open so water can spray out, in fountain-like

fashion. They were constructed by first making a clay model. Once the clay dried it was covered

with a thick layer of plaster to form a mold. Cement was later poured into the mold to produce the

finished sculpture. In turn, all three bears were cast from the same mold.

“The plaster mold is made in several pieces so you can remove it and use it any number of time,”

said Izquierdo. “I made the mold at Bennett’s studio.”

Izquierdo said he and Welsh transported the bears to Kah-Nee-Ta in the back of a truck. He has

fond memories of seeing the bears in magazine and newspaper advertisements for Kah-Nee-Ta

over the years. He said he also made smaller plaster owls and bears to sell in the resort gift shop.

Izquierdo was born in Madrid, Spain in 1925. After the ravages of the Spanish Civil War and a

dramatic escape as a child across the Pyrenees Mountains, he came to the United States courtesy

of the American Friends Service Committee and settled in Portland in 1943. While attending

Washington High School in Portland, Izquierdo was encouraged to pursue woodcut printing by

Lloyd Reynolds, the well-known calligrapher who taught at Reed College.

21

Before entering Portland’s Museum Art School (now Pacific Northwest College of Art), he started

apprenticing to Hungarian-born sculptor Frederic Littman, head of the sculpture department. In

1951, Izquierdo graduated from the college and soon after became a professor there. He taught at

the college for over 40 years and was the department head for many of those. The college’s

sculpture gallery is named in his honor.

Izquierdo received the Oregon

Governor's Arts Award in 1991 and has

exhibited work both in the Northwest

and nationally, including a ten-year

retrospective at the Portland Art

Museum in 1967.

Selected Collections

City of Portland Parks Department,

Claremont Resort Hotel (Oakland, CA),

Coos Art Museum, University of

Oregon, University of Washington,

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New

York), Museum of Northwest Art (La

Conner, WA), Philadelphia Art Museum, Portland Art Museum, Portland State University, Reed

College, Rochester Art Museum, Safeco Corporation, Santa Barbara Art Museum, Seattle Art

Museum, University of Portland, Willamette University.

Selected Public Commissions (in Portland unless otherwise noted)

Oregon Department of Corrections, Far West Federal Bank (Portland and Tacoma), Harsch

Investment Corporation, Metropolitan, Arts Commission, NIKE Steve Prefontaine Track Award,

Northwest District Association, One Main Place Building, Oregon Dental Services Plaza, Pacific

University (Forest Grove), Pettygrove Square , Portland Development Commission, Temple Beth

Israel, St. Phillip Neri Church, Summit View Fountain, U.S. National Bank (Baker City),

Vancouver Library (Vancouver, WA) and Winkler Enterprises.

Bibliography

1.) Manuel Izquierdo, Laura Russo Gallery, Exhibition Catalog, 1996.

2.) Personal communication at the artist’s home in Portland, November 2002.

22

William Bell

William Bell, son of golf architect Billy Bell, was born in Pasadena, California in 1918. After

graduating from the University of Southern California, he trained and worked with his father. He

took over the family business in 1953 following his father’s death. The firm’s name, William P.

Bell and Son, was retained in honor of Bell’s father Often referred to as Billy Bell Jr., the younger

Bell laid out over 200 golf courses, primarily along the Pacific Coast and in Hawaii, during his

career. He was selected to design the front nine at Kah-Nee-Ta. Bell was also president of the

American Society of Golf Course Architects in 1957. He died of a heart attack in 1984.

Selected Courses

-Oregon: Forest Hills, Illahee Hills, Kah-Nee-Ta (9).

-Arizona: Forty-Niner, Mesa, Tuscon, Wickenburg, Yuma.

-California: Alameda Muni, Alhambra Muni, Antelope Valley, Apple Valley, Bakersfield,

Bermuda Dunes, Carmel Highland, Chevy Chase, China Lake, Costa Mesa, Mesa Linda,

Crystalaire, Dryden Park Muni, Irvine Coast, Jurupa Hills, Lake Arrowhead, Malibu, Mesa Verde,

Monterey Hills, Newport Beach, Palm Desert, Palm Springs Muni, Rancho San Joaquin, Singing

Hills, Sunset Oaks, Tamarisk, Torrey Pines Muni, Valley Hi.

-Colorado: Valley.

-Hawaii: Hawaii Kai, Keauhou Kona, Makaha Valley, Sheraton Makaha, Sand Creek Muni.

-Montana: Bitterroot River.

-Nevada: Calvada Valley, Dunes Hotel, Hidden Valley.

-Utah: Bonneville Muni, Dugway, Hobble Creek, Mountain Dell, Oakridge, Riverside.

-Guam: Windward Hills.

Selected Remodeled or Expanded Courses

-Oregon: Columbia-Edgewater, Riverside, Rogue Valley.

-California: Bel-Air, Coronado, Crystal Springs, Del Paso, Irvine Coast, Los Alamitos,

Montebello, Oakmont, Riverside, Dan Gabriel.

23

Appendices

Pietro Belluschi - Houses on the Deschutes River

Richard Beyer - Stories and Myths

24

Pietro Belluschi

Houses on the Deschutes River

Constructed in 1947. County Assessor’s map numbers: 91330-100, 91330-101 and 91330-102.

Original owner, Robert Becker Wilson, whose family also owned the lumber mill at Warm

Springs.

Architect: Pietro Belluschi. Builder: J.S. Parr. Contractor: Henry Nelson.

The Wilsons were successful in obtaining a contract to cut timber on the Warm Springs

Reservation in 1942 and built the Warm Springs Mill. Much of the equipment and some of the

buildings were brought in from Spokane, WA. The first logs were cut in 1943, but Ray Wilson

had to run the operation himself because both his sons were serving in the military during World

War II.

After the war, Charlie and Bob Wilson returned to Oregon and started working with their father.

Charlie lived at the Rainbow Court on the east side of the Deschutes and Bob commuted back

and forth from Portland where he was raising a family. Bob would stay in Warm Springs three of

the four days a week and then go back to Portland for the weekends to be with his wife and

children. Ray decided to let his sons run the mill in the later part of the 1940s and it was decided

at that time to upgrade their living arrangements.

A piece of property was purchased across from the mill on the east side of the Deschutes River

just downstream from the Warm Springs Bridge. Bob had heard about Belluschi and seen some

of the buildings he designed in Portland, He wanted to hire Belluschi to design a pair of homes

for the Deschutes property, but was unable to reach him by phone due to the architects busy

schedule. Not wanting to give up, Bob went to Belluschi’s office, explained what he needed and

remembers being greeted by a man that was very busy and obviously under some degree of

stress. “What do you want, a little white house with green shutters?,” Belluschi asked somewhat

sarcastically.

“You need a day off Mr.

Belluschi,” said Wilson.

Persuaded by Wilson, Belluschi

agreed to make a trip over the

mountains, through Maupin to

Warm Springs. They drove to

the property Wilson had

purchased and took in the

striking view, a steep canyon

with basalt rims dissected by

the river. “He got out his

sketchbook and I knew I had

him,” remembered Wilson.

25

Belluschi made the trip from Portland to Warm Springs on several occasions, “whenever he

needed a day off.” His plan was to create a comfortable living space that blended into the

surroundings, using rock and wood from throughout the region for the interior and exterior

building materials. A smaller house on the south side of the property would serve as a part-time

residence for Bob, who eventually brought his family to Central Oregon for the summers. Bob

Wilson says rock was brought in from the Prineville area for fireplaces and other accents, and pine

from the Warm Springs Reservation was used extensively as paneling. There are rooms in both

houses that incorporate clear and knotty pine milled in Warm Springs.

“The craftsmen we used were very good, but we didn’t want the houses to look too finished,” said

Bob. “We wanted them to blend in.”

Large windows in both houses provide outstanding views of the river and canyon, and act as one

of the elements that mesh the buildings with their surroundings. Both houses have a low profile

and flat roofs which further Belluschi’s concept. The houses were originally stained in tones that

mimicked the coloration of sage and rabbit brush common to the area.

Belluschi and the Wilson family met for many discussions about landscaping (Tom Church of San

Francisco was called in to help with the landscape design) and details for the interior. The

bathroom and kitchen were equipped with outstanding fixtures that gave the homes a modern, yet

dignified appearance.

Belluschi designed the pool house as a sort of dormitory to accommodate friends of the Wilson’s

children who would come to visit primarily during the summer. There were eight bunks at one end

of the structure for boys and eight at the other end for girls with a commons area in the middle to

prepare light meals.

“It was a very comfortable living space,” said Bob.

Bob Wilson remembers Belluschi as a “delightful and charming man.” The two made numerous

trips from Portland to Warm Springs together and developed a friendship. “I consider him a real

friend,” said Bob. “I think he enjoyed the project.”

The Wilsons stayed in Warm Springs for approximately 20 years and then sold their holdings. The

Confederated Tribes purchased houses from Duke Morrison and currently hold title to the

property.

Bibliography

1) Telephone Conversation with Bob Wilson, Seattle, Washington, 1997.

2) Jefferson County Assessor’s Office Files.

26

Richard Beyer

Stories and Myths

Information on the following pages regarding Beyer’s work was obtained through literature

located in the Kah-Nee-Ta office files. Titles attributed to the door pulls. At the main entrance

vary slightly from accounts published in Margaret Beyer’s book, “The Art People Love.”

Carving on Front Desk

Beyer’s design for the front desk is entitled “Coyote Comes Up The River.” A story that goes

with this relief follows: Coyote effects the transformation from the original mythical world to the

world as we know it. With feet in two worlds, he does not know the limits of either. As he goes

up the river changing things, much of what he does is makes the lives of the people worse rather

than better. Much of what he does is strange, and the people laugh at him and won’t give him

anything to eat. He opens the pond where two women keep the fish, thus letting the Salmon into

the Columbia River. The woman in the background is screaming because the fish are leaving

now.

Coyote teaches men the various ways to catch salmon. He eats a dead salmon and dies; it was a

flea. He teaches women to have babies. Sent for as a medicine man, Coyote is lying in the back

of his tent saying he is sick and cannot go. If he gets up to walk, the blood in his head will run

down his throat and suffocate him. He has to be carried upside down by the woman who has

come for him. He destroys the river monster. He tries to bring his wife back from the city of dead

in a box, but looking back as he leaves the city he makes death permanent. Coyote did badly, it is

said. Arriving in the east at the house of the sun, he follows the sun through the sky, but because

he comments on everything he sees and the sun does not want everybody to hear what everybody

else is doing, Coyote is sent back to wander on the river’s bank. The last picture is Coyote and

his shadow.

Carving on Left Door Pull, Main Entrance (“Wildcat Steals

Fire”)

Cougar leaves wildcat to tend the fire while he is hunting.

Wildcat lets it go and then steals it from the cabin of two

blind women across the river. He has to tie the burning sticks

to his ears to swim back to his camp. The two blind women

send five bears to punish wildcat. Cougar fights with them and tears them to bits. Wildcat piles

their pieces up into five heaps. Their heaps are now five big stones, dished out on the top, that are

beside the river where Wildcat and Cougar’s camp was. Children were sent to sleep on the stones

at night to obtain Wildcat’s guardianship. Wildcat’s ears to this day show the singed hair from

the burning brands.

The front desk carved by Richard

Beyer from cedar log, details various

stories significant to the tribes.

27

Carving on Right Door Pull, Main Entrance (“The Guardian Elk Spirit”)

A man who is out gathering wood to make a fire when his child is struck by a falling piece of bark

and his forehead is scarred. He tells his son when he grows up the scar was made by Elk. Elk

knows better. The benefits of his guardianship he bestows upon the son on condition he observes

restrain in the use of this power. The son is a great hunter and never kills more than he and his

family need. The father chides him, saying when he was young he killed much more game.

Their heaps are now five big stones, dished out on the top, that are beside the river where the

father is shown with his two faces. The son in confusion slaughters a herd of elk. The last of the

herd swims into a lake and when the son goes after him in the water, the spirit of all the animals he

has wantonly killed, grab him and to the command, “Draw him down,” bring him before the Elk

who says the father has lied but the boy has violated his guardianship, and therefore loses it. The

boy goes home, exposes the father, and dies in five days.

Sculpture by the Swimming Pool (“Coyote with her Pups”)

The sculpture by the swimming pool is Coyote with her pups on her belly. One of the pups has a

human head. Coyote is earth mother for the child, man. The material used to create the sculpture is

a volcanic mass found underground at the site of the swimming pool. It was suggested the rock be

utilized for sculpture so it was rolled into place above the pool and carved on site. About one third

of the boulder is underground.

Routed and Painted Designs, Exterior

“Chasing Horses off the Golf Course” on the outside staircase

“Coyote Going Under Fence” by the front walk

“Redwing Blackbirds in Tree” on the south stair tower

“Frogs” outside the dining room

“Hawk” at the north end of the top floor

“Attatilia Making a Basket” at the lower opening near the pool

“Boy Finding Fire in a Clam Shell” outside the manager’s office

Routed and Painted Designs, Interior

“Eagles Nest and Animals in a Cloud Bank” in the bar area

“Magpies” above the stairway

“Manic Owl” in the lower dining room

“Parflesche Bag Designs” outside the dining room window

“Pot Shards” near the dining room coffee stations

Routed and Painted Designs, Pro Shop

“Coyote and Child” near the desk area

“Red Deer” in the terrace area

“Rabbit Boy and Attatilia” toward the golf course

Sculpture outside Tribal Administration Building (“The Root Digger”)

The cast aluminum sculpture outside the Tribal Administration Building was created in 1978.

Beyer met with Bernice Mitchell to gain inspiration for the piece, which was commissioned during

construction of the building. Beyer accompanied Mitchell on a root digging trip and made sketches

of her for later use in creating his three dimensional work.