Preserving a Historical Landmark
The Pacific Science Center, designed by the renowned architect Minoru Yamasaki, stands as a testament to mid-20th century modernist architecture. Its iconic arches and reflecting pools embody Yamasaki’s principles of serenity, surprise, and delight. Preserving this masterpiece is crucial not only for its architectural significance but also for its cultural heritage. The integrity of this landmark must be maintained to honor Yamasaki’s vision and the historical context it represents.
In 2010 the Pacific Science Center was designated as a Seattle landmark. At the time, it was one of only two Seattle landmarks that met all six of the Landmarks Preservation Board’s designation criteria.
United States Science Pavilion, Seattle World’s Fair, 1962
Friends of Yamasaki Chronology and Community Outreach
2025
August 15
Will Daugherty, Mädchen Beltrie and Blaire Schille, Associate, GGN present design plans for restoration of the north entrance to Yamasaki’s historic courtyard. The purpose is to restore the visual openness and public experience that Yamasaki intended. Organizations represented: Friends of Yamasaki, Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington, Allied Arts of Seattle, Allied Arts Foundation, Historic Seattle, Queen Anne Historical Society, Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and individuals with expertise in historic preservation, architecture, and landscape architecture.
July 8
Friends of Yamasaki issues its first newsletter, Summer 2025 News, celebrating two years of accomplishments.
June 9
Will Daugherty and Mädchen Beltrie, VP of Finance & Technology invite FOY co-chairs to review an in-house engineering feasibility study and cost estimate for the courtyard restoration.
May 21
Ken Yocum, Interim Dean of the University of Washington, College of Built Environments informs FOY that Minoru Yamasaki was not selected for the “Roll of Honor” for the frieze in Architectural Hall as he did not meet the narrowly defined baseline criteria for this honor.
April 23
Friends of Yamasaki joins the Japan-America Society of the State of Washington and attends their annual meeting and spring gala at the Wing Luke Museum.
March 25
Friends of Yamasaki meets with Will Daugherty, President, CEO of PSC and Marshall Foster, Director of Seattle Center to learn about their new partnership, tour the courtyard, discuss restoration of the courtyard & pools and opportunities to work together. Organizations represented: Seattle Center Advisory Commission, Queen Anne Historical Society, Historic Seattle, and Allied Arts of Seattle.
2024
December 14
Friends of Yamasaki launches its website, https://friendsofyamasaki.org
November 15
Tyler Sprague (lead), Paul Kidder, and FOY nominate Minoru Yamasaki for inclusion on the University of Washington College of Built Environments Roll of Honor. If the nomination is accepted by the UW’s Honor Roll jury, Yamasaki’s name will be inscribed on the frieze in Architecture Hall’s Auditorium.
October 5
Tyler Sprague, UW Associate Professor, makes a presentation at the Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania’s conference “Cement Age/ Concrete Nation” on “A ‘Virtuoso Performance’ in Pre-stressed Concrete: The US Science Pavilion at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.” His presentation highlights the need for a sensitive preservation of the PSC Yamasaki pools.
September 25
FOY Strategy Meeting is held at Historic Seattle with key stakeholders.
September 19
Allied Arts of Seattle invites FOY to participate in a “Beer and Culture” public presentation. The PSC president/CEO, board, and project team will also be invited.
September 12
FOY participates at the opening of the 2024 Asian & Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation conference held in Seattle.
July 10
FOY engages Dana Guppy of First Mile Services LLC to design Friends of Yamasaki’s website.
June 19
FOY submits a letter to David H. Wright, Grousemont Associates LLC, regarding plans for an 8-story apartment building at 100 Second Ave. N., adjacent to the Science Center’s west and south walls. FOY’s concerns include the building’s scale, blockage of Yamasaki exterior walls, and obstruction of iconic sky views through the courtyard’s arches.
June 7
FOY meets with Bryce Seidl, former CEO/President PSC, 2003-2014, regarding shared concerns about PSC’s courtyard plans.
April 19
FOY discussion with Karen Yoshitomi, Executive Director, Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington regarding PSC’s plans for the Yamasaki courtyard.
March 12
FOY meets with the PSC Courtyard Project Team [Mädchen Petrie & Paul Chiocco [PSC], Grace Kim [Schemata Workshop], and Shannon Nichol [GGN] to discuss PSC’s imperative scope, their project vision of planted meadows and/or fountain planters, overall project costs, and their proposal to install a temporary exhibit in the drained pools.
2023
December
Historic Seattle, Docomomo US/WEWA & Queen Anne Historical Society meet with the PSC Courtyard Project Team for an update on the courtyard plans.
November 28
FOY meets with Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis to share FOY’s concerns with Lewis’ council district constituents.
October 16
Discussions begin to create an organization focused on restoration and preservation of Yamasaki’s courtyard and pools: Friends of Yamasaki [FOY].
Summer/Fall
PSC Courtyard Project Team conducts an online public survey from July to November 2023 about the future of the courtyard and pools. This survey was part of a broader community engagement effort by the Pacific Science Center.
July 25
Donald Kunz & Heather Pihl meet with Eugenia Woo to discuss PSC’s courtyard plans.
May 25
Michigan Historic Preservation Network presents a webinar by Professor Dale Allen Gyure on recent Yamasaki preservation efforts and potential preservation threats, including the Pacific Science Center.
May 18
Donald Kunz meets with Eugenia Woo, Director of Preservation Services at Historic Seattle, to discuss the PSC briefing.
February 15
Will Daugherty, PSC CEO/President, & Project Team provide a briefing on the proposed courtyard improvements, alterations & vision to the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board. LPB members asked many questions about the project. The reaction was mixed; while some members indicated support for the ideas, others expressed strong reservations.
2022
December
PSC Courtyard Project Team meets with Historic Seattle, Docomomo US/WEWA & Queen Anne Historical Society to introduce the project and several options under consideration, including but not limited to ideas for a meadow-like installation. This resulted in strong opposition to altering the courtyard pools.
Historical Artifact:
1962 Seattle World’s Fair Brochure
United States Science Exhibit, hosted by the US Department of Commerce.
Theme:
“Conquering, holding,
daring, venturing as we
go the unknown ways”
Walt Whitman — Leaves of Grass
United States Science Exhibit
Map of Science Exhibit
Exhibit Supporters 1962
What the Community Says
★★★★★
“Yamasaki’s vision of serenity was a radical one, like the utter purity of a Zen rock garden, yet a purity carried through to a rich array of sounds, textures, and variations of scale. It is this radical totality of serene vision that makes the plaza not merely pleasing but transporting, a quality that earned Yamasaki his reputation as a uniquely imaginative auteur. When we approach the plaza piecemeal, adding here and altering there, we risk losing the essence of the place and thus the reason for its status as an iconic work of architecture.”
Paul Kidder, PhD
Professor Emeritus, Philosophy, Seattle University – author of Minoru Yamasaki and the Fragility of Architecture
★★★★★
“Minoru Yamasaki intended the Pacific Science Center (then the U.S. Science Pavilion) to be a peaceful escape from a crowded, chaotic world, and the pools and fountains were the focal point of that experience; the entire design was oriented to the water features. To alter or replace those features will remove the heart of the complex and destroy the integrity of Yamasaki’s vision.”
Dale Allen Gyure, JD, PhD
Dept. of Architecture Chair and Professor – Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan – author of Minoru Yamasaki: Humanist Architecture for a Modernist World