Robert George Reichert, Architect

Abstract

Robert George Reichert, Seattle architect, practiced as a sole proprietor in the city from 1952 until his death in 1996. He learned both to design and to play the organ at a very young age, and developed strong ideas about the meaning of architecture, notions that would guide his practice throughout his career. He studied under Walter Gropius at Harvard during a period of rationalist education and practice. Practicing in a vibrant architectural culture in post-World War II Seattle, Reichert chose a solitary path in which he believed the meaning of his work was romantic and spiritual, and his individual projects could be described in terms of their affective content rather than purely functionalist design. This thesis tells the story of Reichert’s life and career, drawing primarily on original documents in the Reichert Collection at the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections. The thesis places this iconoclastic artist-architect in the context of his time and place and seeks to frame his architecture and thought in a wider context.