Edwin Walker Houghton

• English

Born on August 5, 1856 in Hampshire, England to a family of architects and surveyors, Houghton received his architectural training by apprenticing with his uncles and a brother. He immigrated to Western Texas in the mid-1880s and tried his hand at farming, but returned to the field of architecture when he moved west to Pasadena, California, and established his own practice. Houghton next relocated to Seattle around 1889, shortly after the great fire that burned down much of Pioneer Square. Partnering with architect Charles W Saunders, he designed mostly commercial and institutional buildings. The partnership dissolved in 1891, after which Houghton practiced independently

He was one of Seattle's early architects and helped found the Washington State Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1894. He designed a variety of commercial, institutional and residential projects but found a niche in theater design throughout the Northwest. His theater work included over seventy buildings in the Northwest, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. Examples include Seattle's Grand Opera House (1898-1900), Moore Theater and Hotel (1903-1907), Spokane Theater (1900-1901, demolished), Sutton's Grand Opera in Butte, Montana (1902, demolished), and the Heilig Theater in Portland, Oregon (1909-1910). Houghton formed a partnership with his son, Gordon Houghton, from 1913 to 1927 and the firm became known as E W Houghton and Son. His career lasted until the 1920s and he died on May 16, 1927. - NRHP, 23 July 2008