Oral history interview with John Storrs

Collection

Identifier: SR 9310

Staff Only

Digitized audio recording of oral history interview with John Storrs

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Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with John Storrs was conducted by Charles Digregorio on August 2, 1978, at Storrs’s home in Portland, Oregon, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library’s oral history program.

In this interview, Storrs discusses his reasons for becoming an architect and for moving to Portland in 1949. He speaks extensively about his career as an architect in Oregon, including his work on Salishan Lodge in Gleneden Beach. He talks about how he decides what jobs to accept, about his use of wood in his designs, and about working with clients. He closes the interview by reflecting on his accomplishments, and by discussing his architectural philosophy.

Dates

Creation: 1978 August 2

Creator

Storrs, John, 1920- (Interviewee, Person)
Digregorio, Charles (Interviewer, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and the estate of John Storrs. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted, https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

Biographical note

John Whitmore Storrs was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1920. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth College, then served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. In 1949, he earned a master’s degree in architecture from Yale University in Hartford, Connecticut, then moved to Portland, Oregon, in 1950. He worked in the Northwest Regional Style, and his designs often included wood as a central feature. Buildings designed by Storrs include the Portland Garden Club, Salishan Lodge, Catlin Gabel School, the World Forestry Center, Sokol Blosser Winery, and Lakeridge High School.

Storrs married twice and had four children. He died in 2003.

Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Storrs in his interview; “Remembering John Storrs, The Structure of a Life,” by Randy Gragg, September 3, 2003, Oregonian, Page B1.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (1 hr., 4 min., 21 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with John Storrs, conducted by Charles Digregorio on August 2, 1978. Storrs discusses his career as an architect in Oregon, and talks about designing Salishan Lodge in Gleneden Beach.