The History of Seattle, Act II Garden Scene, Aria: Castles in the Clouds

This triptych is part of a series by the artist depicting builders, structures and events in Seattle’s history.  In the foreground of the left panel, from left to right, is John Graham Jr., supervising designer of the Space Needle and a number of other downtown buildings, and R.H. Thomson, seated. City Engineer at the turn of the century, he supervised the installation of the city’s water and electrical power systems, the digging of the canals, and other massive earthworks which gave the city its physical shape.  Shown behind Thomson is his masterpiece, the removal of Denny Hill, and the magnificent Denny Hotel which crowned it. 

Standing in the center panel is Dr. Richard Fuller, who built and endowed the original Seattle Art Museum in Volunteer Park. The Museum is shown held in his hand.

In the right hand panel is L.C. Smith, of Smith-Corona, who in 1914 built the Smith Tower, which was the tallest building west of the Mississippi until 1962.  He is shown shaking hands with Seattle patron, musician and restaurateur Ivar Haglund, who purchased the building in 1956.  In the left middle ground, in front of the Miss Bardahl hydroplane, are William E. Boeing and Tex Johnston, his chief test pilot, who barrel-rolled the first 707 over the Gold Cup hydroplane race in 1956. 

Other details include the 707 in mid-roll (above and right of Fuller), the R.H. Thomson Expressway (the Interstate 5 freeway through Seattle), and the discovery of Henry Moore’s Vertebrae sculpture at the bottom of the Denny Hill excavation. In the right background is the eruption of Mt. Rainier, and overhead, the Ivar’s Fourth of July fireworks.