explore pioneer square
Welcome to the Original Seattle Neighborhood – rich in history, arts, culture, and food!
“Interaction!” is presented by the Northwest Center for Architecture.
NCA was founded in 2024 by a network of architects and community leaders who saw a need to document the methods, art, and artifacts of a regional design culture that shaped the built environment and architectural culture of the Pacific Northwest.
NCA seeks to raise public awareness about the artists and architects who sought to create a regionally specific approach to design that responded thoughtfully to the environment, culture and economy of the Northwest, from Oregon to British Columbia.
Currently, the potential loss of original drawings, documents, and ephemera is acute, as many of the guiding regional architects of the 20th century have passed and their design firms have closed. What is left are stuffed garages and storage units.
Yet the ethos of the Pacific Northwest regional architecture movement is profoundly contextual and civic-minded, and many of their buildings still shelter public life. Losing these materials, losing the story of how and why this architecture was made, would also mean leaving key principles of the movement behind.
NCA’s vision is to ensure that the art and archives of notable Northwest architects are preserved, a suite of books and publications are produced and made available for both academic and public audiences, and events are held to celebrate, debate, interpret, and help draw attention to the creation and understanding of architecture in the Pacific Northwest.
