Art Everett: A Boulder Architecture Icon
The steeply vaulted ceilings and angled walls are reminiscent of a church's sanctuary. The four wood-burning fireplaces, extensive woodwork, and almost four-and-a-half acres announce proudly that you're in true Rocky-Mountain-High territory. And the views? Well, they're simply breathtaking.
The home at 175 Bellevue in Boulder is a 1967 Mid-Mod treasure, designed by iconic Boulder architect Arthur Everett. Everett, who spent his formative years in Colorado Springs, was instrumental in shaping Boulder's architectural look and feel in the 1970s and 80s. A member of the University of Colorado School of Architecture's first graduating class, Everett was a co-founding member of Everett Zeigel Architects in 1964, along with business partner Alan Zeigel.
February 14, 1964: Art Everett and Alan Zeigel open Everett Zeigel in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo courtesy OZ Architecture)
The firm's small beginnings in Everett's basement quickly flourished, and the firm later grew to Everett, Zeigel, Tumpes & Hand (EZTH), which was responsible for many local iconic designs. The partnership still exists today, and is now known as OZ Architecture, an award-winning, internationally recognized institution.
The most iconic design Everett helped plan is Boulder's Pearl Street Mall, a project that began in 1966, when Planning Board Member Carl A. Worthington proposed the plans to revitalize Boulder's downtown. In 1973, the Pearl Street Mall Master Plan was approved by an 86 percent majority, and construction commenced in June 1976. The design eventually won the Urban Renewal Design Award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Everett Zeigel participates in the design of the Pearl Street Mall, putting his firm on the national map as visionary urban planners and designers. (Photo courtesy OZ Architecture)
Everett Zeigel participates in the design of the Pearl Street Mall, putting his firm on the national map as visionary urban planners and designers. (Photo courtesy OZ Architecture)
In 1984, the AIA awarded EZTH as Firm of the Year for the Western Mountain region. In 1986, Everett moved to Northern California, where he continued to practice architecture until 2004. Everett once explained his design philosophy by saying "I like to see trees a lot more than I like to see buildings. Maybe I'm a traitor to my profession."
Everett died in February of this year, but his architectural legacy—one that supports nature as much as it supports community—lives on within homes, businesses, and public spaces around Boulder and beyond.