Thom Hacker architectural papers

Collection

Identifier: Coll 955

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of the papers of the Oregon-based architect Thom Hacker, primarily original sketches and drawings for his projects. The majority of the projects represented in the collection were completed in Oregon. These include multiple structures at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland; libraries in Portland, Beaverton, and Bend; museums in Bend and The Dalles; the restoration of St. Mary's Cathedral in Portland; projects at Lewis & Clark College, the University of Oregon, and Southern Oregon University; and Hacker's own residence in Eugene. The collection also includes drawings for several projects that were never completed, including a lodge on Mt. Hood and residences in Eugene.

The collection also includes sketches and drawings for projects that Hacker did in Washington State and elsewhere in the U.S., including a residence for his in-laws, the Stewarts, in Yellow Springs, Ohio; the Fay and Bob Jones Studio in Skagit Valley, Washington; multiple buildings at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington; the Arizona Historical Society Museum in Tempe, Arizona; and the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, Montana. Hacker's student work at the University of Pennsylvania is also represented, including his thesis project. The collection includes a few materials relating to competitions for projects in Finland and in Mexico.

While many of the sketches and hand-done drawings in the collection are by Hacker himself, the collection includes work by employees of his firm, such as renderings by Richard Hoyen and drawings by Ken Kloj. Project records also include construction drawings; post-construction photographs, often as either prints or as film positives (most of which are in color); transparencies based on computer-generated drawings; and digitized or born-digital photographs and drawings.

Materials in the collection other than architectural project records include design records for a dervish vase and stemware that Hacker designed for Steuben Glass; a folio documenting the history of Hacker's partnership with Richard Garfield in the 1970s and 1980s; awards; and materials relating to an exhibition of Hacker's work at the University of Oregon Art Museum in 1978.

Dates

Creation: 1964-circa 2016

Creator

Hacker, Thomas, 1941- (Architect, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Biographical Note

Thomas "Thom" Owen Hacker was born in 1941 in Dayton, Ohio. He studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts, where he won the Paul Cret Gold Medal for Best Graduate Thesis Project and the Alfred Brooks Gold Medal for Best Design Student. He was then hired by Louis Khan, and worked with Khan on projects including the Capitol building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.

In 1970, Hacker moved to Eugene, Oregon, to teach at the University of Oregon with Richard Garfield, who had been his colleague in Kahn's firm. He designed and built a house for his family, employing family members and architectural students as builders. In 1983, Hacker and Garfield established a firm in Portland, Oregon. In 1992, Hacker split from Garfield to form Thomas Hacker Architects, later known only as Hacker.

Buildings in Oregon that were designed by Hacker include the Biomedical Information Communication Center (BICC) and the School of Nursing at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland; the High Desert Museum in Bend; the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles; the main library in Beaverton; and the Woodstock Library in Portland. Hacker's projects outside Oregon included the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, Montana; the Arizona Historical Society Museum in Tempe, Arizona; and a facility on the Pacific Highway at the U.S.-Canada border in Blaine, Washington.

Hacker married Margaret Stewart in 1965; the couple had three children. Hacker retired in 2018. He died in February 2023.

Sources: Obituary in the Oregonian, March 9, 2023; obituary in the Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland), March 15, 2023.

Extent

38.4 Cubic Feet (2 letter document cases; 2 flat boxes (14x18); 1 flat box (16x20); 2 flat boxes (20x24); 4 small telescoping boxes; 6 large telescoping boxes; 21 oversize folders (20x30); 103 oversize folders (30x42); 26 oversize folders (36x48); 4 oversize framed items)

33.6 Gigabytes (2,262 digital files)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers of the architect Thomas "Thom" Hacker (1941-2023), primarily architectural sketches and drawings relating to his projects. Hacker taught at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, in the 1970s, and later headed an architectural firm in Portland, Oregon.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in 7 series:

Series 1: Student work
Series 2: Projects in Oregon
Series 3: Projects in Washington State
Series 4: Projects in other U.S. locations
Series 5: International projects
Series 6: Unidentified projects and other design work
Series 7: Professional and personal records and memorabilia

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Due to the size of the materials, researchers may be asked to visit the Oregon Historical Society's off-site storage facility to access significant portions of this collection. Digital files are available upon request. Contact library staff for assistance.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Thom Hacker in May 2020 (RL2020-010).

Processing Information

In the course of processing, several steps were taken for preservation purposes: multiple items were removed from frames, and tissue paper or glassine was placed on top of sketches and drawings with pastel or pencil coloring. In some cases, print photographs had been taped together to form a panoramic image; the tape was removed, and a number written on the back of each image to indicate where its position had been when the photographs were taped together, left to right.