Posted on June 24, 2026
Post categories: Faculty Honors & Awards News
The College of Built Environments honors the legacy of several CBE community members who have unfortunately passed recently: Leon Bridges Sr., Grant Hildebrand, Phillip Jacobson, John Edward Mahlum, Anne Vernez Moudon, and Betty L. Wagner. Through their dedication to practice, education, research, advocacy and mentorship, each of them have helped shape our college, the University of Washington and beyond.
As a tribute, we commemorate these beloved educators, professionals, and trailblazers by highlighting the contributions they have made to our community and the broader fields of the built environment.
Leon Bridges Sr., FAIA, NOMAC
Leon Bridges Sr. (1932-2026) was a pioneering architect, civic leader and alumnus, who received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Washington in 1960. He founded Seattle’s second Black-owned architecture firm before later becoming one of the first Black architects in Maryland. Leon also held leadership roles in the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). He received the 1998 AIA Whitney M. Young Jr. Award for his work advancing equity in the profession. He was the first Black architect to be honored by the national American Institute of Architects (AIA) with an AIA Citation for Excellence in Community Architecture for the Washington State I-90 Project. In 2025, the Department of Architecture honored Leon as a UW Architecture Distinguished Alumni.
Grant Hildebrand
Grant Hildebrand (1934-2025) was a renowned architect and architectural historian who taught at the University of Washington from 1964 to 2000. An award-winning teacher, theorist and writer, he was the first to explore the application of prospect-refuge theory to architecture. As an advocate for Northwest architecture, he was a columnist in the Seattle Times in the 1980s, and subsequently has published a series of books about notable Seattle architects and their work, including Paul Hayden Kirk, Wendell Lovett, Arne Bystrom, Gene Zema, George Suyama and Gordon Walker. He received the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award, which is awarded annually to one member of each professorial rank. He continued to lecture and write for over two decades after his retirement from teaching in 2000. In 2018, the College of Built Environments honored him with a Distinguished Faculty Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Phillip Jacobson, FAIA
Phillip Jacobson (1928-2025) was a widely recognized architectural designer who taught at the University of Washington from 1962 to 2000. As a dedicated professor, he led design studios for over a thousand students and guided over 150 Master’s theses. He joined the Seattle architecture firm TRA Architects in 1955, rose to become a partner, and for twenty years was the firm’s Design Director, retiring in 1992. Projects he contributed include the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, the Albuquerque International Airport, the Marion Sweet Airport in Eugene, OR, and buildings at both the University of Washington and Washington State University. He received the AIA Seattle Medal for Lifetime Achievement in 1994. Aside from his practice and teaching, he was involved in product design including furniture, lighting fixtures and jewelry.
John Edward Mahlum, FAIA
John Edward Mahlum (1939–2025) was an architect, mentor and UW alumnus, who graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the university in 1961. After earning a master’s in architecture from Columbia University in New York, he joined his father’s architecture firm Mahlum & Mahlum Architects, currently Mahlum Architects. He contributed to the institutional facility design for many major educational and health services organizations in the Puget Sound region, including the restoration of the University of Washington’s Suzzallo Library. He also served as a trustee of the Seattle Architectural Foundation and Nordic Heritage Museum, as well as a member of the UW Department of Architecture Professionals Advisory Council. In 1983, he was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, the highest recognition the AIA gives and acknowledges architects who have made exceptional contributions to the profession and society.
Anne Vernez Moudon, Ph.D.
Anne Vernez Moudon, Ph.D. (1945-2025) was an internationally known urban planner and urban designer who taught at the University of Washington from 1981 to 2015. As a faculty member, she held appointments in three departments including Architecture. She continued to do research for another decade thereafter. At the UW, she led the Urban Form Lab. She was also a founder of the International Seminar on Urban Form (ISUF), where urban design research and applications are shared internationally. Her record of publication, disseminating the results of her research, was remarkable — between 1990 and 2020, she produced 25 book chapters, roughly 120 authored or co-authored peer-reviewed articles and gave over 110 invited presentations on at least four continents. In 2025, CBE inducted Anne into the CBE Roll of Honor, recognizing her extraordinary legacy of service, scholarship and impact. The Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Urban Design & Planning, jointly with the Built Environment Ph.D. Program, devoted the 2026 Annual Ph.D. Symposium to her work and its worldwide impact.
Betty L. Wagner
Betty L. Wagner (1928-2025) was a beloved course-librarian and head of the former UW Architecture-Urban Planning Library from 1951 to 2004. In her 53 years of service at the Library, Betty worked closely with students, pioneered new technologies and made many deeply valued friendships, including Jane Hastings and Norman Johnston, In 1997, the UW established the Betty L. Wagner Endowed Library Fund to provide long-term student assistance and preserve and process the architectural drawings collection. She also established the Dance Collection Endowment to support her enduring commitment to libraries and the performing arts. Betty was named an Honorary Affiliate Member by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for her lifetime of service in 2001.
We are grateful to have had these luminaries as part of our community. Their work continues to inspire generations of world builders, and they will be deeply missed.