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Male, US, born 1879-07-31, died 1970-10-29
Associated with the firms network
Naramore and Associates, Architects; Naramore and Brady, Architects; Naramore and Menke, Architects; Naramore and Young, Architect and Engineer; Naramore, Bain, Brady, and Johanson, (NBBJ); Naramore, Floyd, Architect; Naramore, Grainger and Johanson, Architects; Naramore, Grainger and Thomas, Architects; Portland, OR, Public Schools, Office of the Architect and Superintendent of Properties, Naramore, Floyd A.; Seattle Public Schools, Office of the Supervising Architect, Naramore, Floyd A.
Résumé
Floyd Naramore began professional studies in engineering, but switched later to architecture. He began working on bridges and other civil engineering structures, developing particular skill in cost estimation. By the 1910s, he became focused on school design, during a period of rapid expansion in secondary schools across the US. Massachusetts passed the first compulsory education laws for children in 1852, and the states of the union gradually passed comparable laws during the period until 1918, when Mississippi was the last to do so. Populations grew rapidly at this time, also necessitating the construction of new schools to handle burgeoning populations.
Due to new scientific discoveries and methodological shifts in teaching, school house design changed rapidly during the 50 years between 1870 and 1920, with a greater premium being placed on student health and safety. Building codes for schools became stringent and designs emphasized the ample admission of light and air to prevent communicable diseases. Adjacent outdoor recreation areas also became critical for student health and well-being during this time.
After the Second World War, Naramore and his firm also became adept at medical building design. The University of Washington provided a huge early commission for Naramore, Brady, Bain and Johanson, when it began construction of a huge medical center complex on what had formerly been a waterside golf course.
Bridge Draftsman, Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, Chicago, IL.
Draftsman, George A. Fuller, General Contractor, Chicago, IL, and New York, NY.
Draftsman, John McEwen and Company, Building Contractor, Chicago, IL.
Engineer/Cost Estimator, Northwest Bridge Works, Portland, OR, 1909-1912.
Architect and Superintendent of Properties, Portland Public School District #1, Portland, OR, 1912-1919. (Naramore held Oregon Architect License #0044). His office in 1918 was in Room #401 of the Portland City Courthouse.
Supervising Architect, Seattle School District, Seattle, WA, 1919-c. 1932. Between 1919 and 1924, Naramore occupied Room #512 of the Hinckley Block in Seattle.
Partner, Naramore and [Alvin] Menke, Architects, Seattle, WA, 1924-c. 1929. This partnership had an office in Room #631 of the Central Building in 1928. (See Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1928, p. 1236.)
Partner, Naramore and Young, Architects, Seattle, WA, 1933-1940. In 1933-1934, Naramore and Young had space in Room #511 of the Central Building. Between 1936 and 1940, they had Room #514 of the same building.
Associate, Naramore, Grainger and Thomas, Associated Architects, Seattle, WA, 1935-1937, the firm assembled to work on the Bagley Hall Chemistry and Pharmacy Building at the University of Washington.
Partner, Naramore and [Clifton] Brady, Architects, Seattle, WA, 1941-1946. This firm rented Room #1177 of the Dexter Horton Building in 1942.
Partner, Naramore, Grainger and Johanson, Architects, Seattle, WA, 1942. This war-time association leased Room #2800 of the Smith Tower.
Senior Partner, Naramore, Brady, Bain and Johanson (NBBJ), Architects, Seattle, WA, 1943-1970. NBBJ had a number of office locations in its early Seattle days. Between 1943 and 1946, they maintained their practice in Room #2800 of the Smith Tower. Between 1947 and 1952, they had Room #1190 of the Smith Tower. It rented Room #323 in the Douglas Building between 1953-1954. It built its own offices at 904 7th Avenue by 1953.
Professional Activities
President, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Washington State Chapter, 1939-1940.
Naramore held Oregon Architect License #0044.
Professional Awards
Fellow, American Institute of Architects (FAIA), 1935.
College
Coursework in engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, c. 1900. At the University of Wisconsin, Naramore pledged to the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. Another Delta Upsilon pledge, Harry D. Keerl, of the same class as Floyd Naramore, the Class of 1904, also made his home in Mason City, IA. (See Delta Upsilon Decennial, Melvin Gilbert Dodge, ed., [Ann Arbor, MI: Richmond and Backus, Company, 1903], p. 982.)
Coursework in engineering, University of Michigan (U of M), Ann Arbor, MI, c. 1903.
B.S. Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, 1907.
Relocation
Born in Warren, IL, Naramore lived as an infant in Darlington, WI, where his father worked as a "machine agent" according to the 1880 US Census. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: Darlington, Lafayette, Wisconsin; Roll: 1433; Page: 58C; Enumeration District: 204, accessed 04/14/2021.)
During his childhood, He dwelled in Mason City, IA. The 1900 US Census found Naramore's family living at 722 North Michigan Street in Mason City. The household included Floyd's parents, his two siblings, Hal and Harriet, and roomer, Alexander H. Rennis (born c. 05/1877 in OH), who worked as a dry goods salesman.
He attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA, graduating in 1907.
He moved to Chicago, IL, and from there to Portland, OR, working there from 1912-1919. In 1918, the architect lived at the University Club in Portland. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: Oregon; Registration County: Multnomah Source Information U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005, accessed 04/14/2021.)
Naramore then moved to Seattle, WA, where his brother Hal resided. Floyd Naramore would spend the remainder of his life here, building one of the largest architectural firms in the US. In 1920, Floyd and Hal both resided in the same apartment building at 422 Seneca Street in Seattle. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1920; Census Place: Seattle, King, Washington; Roll: T625_1928; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 228, accessed 04/14/2021.)
Naramore dwelled in Apartment #404 in the apartment building at 1111 Boren Avenue in Seattle, in 1928. (See Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1928, p. 1236.)
In 04/1942, the architect lived at 605 Spring Street in Seattle.
In 1950, Naramore listed an address of 1554 Park Side Drive in Seattle. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Immigration Cards, 1900-1965 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016, accessed 04/14/2021.) His brother Hal lived at 1554 Park Side Drive during the Second World War. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Box or Roll Number: 145 Source Information U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, accessed 04/14/2021.)
Naramore listed his residence at 605 Spring Street in Seattle in 1951. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1951; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 1; Page Number: 72, accessed 04/14/2021.)
His last residence was in the 98119 zip code of Seattle.
Parents
His father was Willard Watson Naramore (born 08/1854 in IL-d. 1936 in Mason City, IA), his mother, Delilah "Lila" Sherman (born c. 02/1851 in IL-d. 08/18/1935 in Mason City, IA). They wed c. 1876, and had had three children by 1900, all of whom survived in that year.
Willard Watson Naramore grew up in Lena, IL in a prosperous household, his father, Willard Parker Naramore, having been a physician. The 1870 US Census noted that Willard's family owned $12,800 worth of real estate and had a personal estate valued at $4725, significant sums when compared with neighbors. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1870; Census Place: Lena, Stephenson, Illinois; Roll: M593_275; Page: 390A, accessed 04/14/2021.)
According to the 1900 and 1910 US Censuses, Willard Watson Naramore worked as a cement contractor. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: Mason City, Cerro Gordo, Iowa; Page: 15; Enumeration District: 0028; FHL microfilm: 1240423 and Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: Mason Ward 1, Cerro Gordo, Iowa; Roll: T624_396; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0029; FHL microfilm: 1374409, accessed 04/14/2021.)
Willard and Lila had three children: Hal Sherman Naramore (born 10/18/1877 in Lena, IL-d. 03/06/1961 in Seattle, WA) Floyd, and Harriet Ann Naramore Gould (born 1881-d. 10/07/1951 in Wyoming Township, IA).
In 1918, elder brother Hal was a physician and surgeon, working in Room #1110 of the new White Building in Downtown Seattle. His employer was the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railway Company. He continued to work for the Milwaukee Hospital Association during World War II, with an office in Room #407 of the Medical Arts Building in Seattle. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: Washington; Registration County: King Source Information U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005 and Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Box or Roll Number: 145 Source Information U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, accessed 04/14/2021.)
Harriet married George Orlo Gould (born 12/12/1877 in IA-d. 1970 in IA) on 09/02/1905 in Cerro Gordo County, IA, and they had a daughter, Mary Gould Richardson (born 12/07/1910 in Mason City, IA-d. 1997). George O. Gould became a city councilman in the City of Mason City, IA, in 1918, and, twelve years later, he worked as the treasurer of a clay products company according to the 1930 US Census. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Mason City, Cerro Gordo, Iowa; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0020; FHL microfilm: 2340383, accessed 04/14/2021.) Harriet died from injuries sustained in an automobile collisision in 1951. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation State Historical Society of Iowa; Des Moines, Iowa; Iowa Death Records, accessed 04/14/2021.)
In 1918, Lila resided at 626 North Delaware Avenue in Mason City, IA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: Oregon; Registration County: Multnomah Source Information U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005, accessed 04/14/2021.)
Lila's parents were William C. Sherman (born 03/15/1868 in Hardy County, VA-d. 02/24/1923 in Baltimore, MD) and Rebecca Strawderman Whetzel Sherman (born 08/22/1871 in Hardy County, VA-d. 10/14/1947 in Baltimore, MD).
Spouse
He wed Frances Yeomans Naramore (born 09/24/1893 in Clark County, WA) on 07/29/1925 in Seattle's Plymouth Congregational Church. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington; Washington Marriage Records, 1854-2013; Reference Number: kingcoarchmcvol8_265, accessed 04/14/2021.)
She died just a little over a year later on 10/25/1926 at the age of 33 in Seattle, WA.
Her parents were Blanche Webster (born 09/03/1886 in IA-d. 05/30/1951 in Alexandria, VA) and Francis C. Yeomans (born c. 01/1854 in NY-d. 04/10/1939 in Los Angeles County, CA). In 1900, he served as the Postmaster of Columbia, WA, and would switch careers to work as an appraiser at the Security Trust and Savings Bank in Long Beach, CA, in 1928. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: Columbia, Clark, Washington; Page: 2; Enumeration District: 0025; FHL microfilm: 1241742, accessed 04/14/2021, and Long Beach, California, City Directory, 1928, p. 709.)
Biographical Notes
The Washington Death Index has Naramore's birthdate as 07/31/1879. Duane A. Dietz, in his essay on Naramore, "Floyd A. Naramore," in Shaping Seattle Architecture, (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994), noted it as 07/21/1879. Several other sources repeated it as 07/21/1879, including Find a Grave.com, and a HistoryLink.org essay on Naramore. Other sources, however, listed it as 07/31/1879, including the Social Security Death Index, and both draft registration cards for World War I and World War II. A Brazilian immigration document of 05/03/1950 also had a date of 07/31/1879.
His World War II draft registration card indicated that Floyd Naramore was a Caucasian man with a ruddy complexion, standing 5-feet, 8-inches tall and weighing 160 pounds. He had brown eyes and gray hair in 1942. This draft card also noted a scar on his right wrist. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Box or Roll Number: 145, accessed 04/14/2021.) His World War I draft card of 09/12/1918 indicated that his right hand was "partly disabled." (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: Oregon; Registration County: Multnomah Source Information U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005, accessed 04/14/2021.)
In 1932, Naramore traveled between Southampton, England, and New York, NY, aboard the Hamburg-American Liner, S.S. Hamburg, during the period 09/301932 and 10/07/1932. While in London, the architect stayed at the Victoria Residential Hotel. The ship's manifest showed that Naramore traveled with his business partner, Alvin Menke. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012, accessed 04/14/2021.)
Naramore traveled to Brazil in 1950 for a period of 90 days. He entered that country on 04/05/1940, and stayed at the Copacabana Hotel in Rio de Janeiro. This information was contained on a travel visa produced by the Consulate General of Brazil in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 05/03/1950. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Immigration Cards, 1900-1965 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016, accessed 04/14/2021.)
In 1951, Naramore sailed between Barcelona, Spain, and New York, NY, during 05/20/1951 and 05/30/1951 aboard the American Export Liner, S.S. Exeter. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1951; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 1; Page Number: 72, accessed 04/14/2021.)
SSN: 534-34-2362.
PCAD id: 1817
