Mary Lund Davis: A portrait in Three Histories

Abstract

Pioneering architect, Mary Lund Davis, is renown for her contributions to Pacific Northwest modernism. She was the first licensed female architect after World War II in Washington State. She founded a successful cabinetry business and eponymous architecture practice during an era when few women accomplished such feats. However, she was also a grandmother to the author. This thesis investigates the relationship between archival objectivity and familial subjectivity. It utilizes Friedrich Nietzsche’s, “On the Use and Abuse of History for Life” as a theoretical framework to investigate archival and familial history through three distinct historical lenses. Each lens is introduced by an artwork that interprets the quintessence of the historical lens and followed by the application of a specific but unique methodology that exemplifies the type of investigation. This process seeks clarity in the narrative history of Mary Lund Davis: the architect, the woman, and the grandmother; not teased into isolated facets but rather structured interpretations to form a holistic understanding of her person.