Scott Edwards Architecture Celebrates 25 Years
Author
Sid Scott
This year, Scott Edwards Architecture celebrates our 25th anniversary. When we started to discuss how to mark this important firm milestone, we kept coming back to the first piece of our ethos: people first. SEA’s commitment to our community is foundational to our work and our firm culture—our very first project was a new dental clinic for Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center and our partnership with non-profits and community organizations has only grown from there. Since our founding, SEA has worked with over 90 non-profit organizations and at any given time this work typically makes up a third of our active projects. Volunteering is also a large part of our commitment to the community, and you’ll often find SEA staff organizing supply drives for organizations, inspiring future designers in school programs, cleaning up beaches and trails with SOLVE, and revitalizing our community with Rebuilding Together. We have a passion for making our world a better place.
In honor of our 25th anniversary, SEA has decided to put this passion to purpose and perform 25 Acts of Giving in 2023. This will include volunteering our expertise and labor, improving our neighborhoods and natural areas, and contributing to causes we care about. We are thrilled to get going on this endeavor and we can’t wait to share more with you. Look for updates throughout the year on our website’s “News” page and on our SEA social media channels.
With this milestone, I can’t help but reflect on other milestones throughout the years. In keeping with the theme, here are 25 SEA notables from the past 25 years that helped shape our firm into who we are today
25 notables from the past 25 years
1. Kelly and I reunite to form Scott Edwards Architecture (SEA) in 1998.
2. Our first project, the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center Dental Building in Cornelius.
3. SEA moves into the first of 10 office headquarters iterations, starting in the Pearl District before it was the Pearl and constructing most of them DIY.
4. Our first check from a client. $2,500. We are in business!
5. Hiring the first employee and realizing all that went into payroll. In 2022, we hired our 100th.
6. My kiddos using the office as their personal playground.
7. Competing in the first of many Sand in the City fundraising events at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
8. Closing the office for the afternoon and taking the entire staff night skiing at Ski Bowl.
9. Winning our first AIA Design Award for Shorepine Village in Pacific City.
10. Our first of many LEED-certified, the University Park Community Center expansion.
11. Balsa Wood airplane flying competition held on the dunes at Pacific City.
12. The first firm holiday party was held at our Burnside HQ in 2007, inspiring many more years of office parties.
13. Promotion of a group of staff to associate and senior associate positions and forming our management team.
14.Hosting our annual Parking Lot Party
15. Our first year of participating in Rebuilding Together. The 2023 volunteer event will take place in April and will be our 7th year participating as a firm.
16. Kelly Edwards’ first “coffee talk” turns into a regular “impromptu” chat in the center of the office. No topic off limits!
17. Winning an AIA Design Award for the Jose Pedro Child Care Center in Cornelius, Oregon in 2003
18. Closing the office for a day and taking the entire staff on a tour of our projects.
19. SEA forms a coed softball and basketball team with our softball team now in its 15th year.
20. In 2013, Kelly Edwards retires, 6 new principals were named, and 7 distinct design studios are established.
21. Opened an office in Hawaii for 3 years to manage a large project on Oahu
22. Receiving our 40th industry design award in 2018
23. Starting the Kelly J. Edwards Architecture Scholarship in 2020
24. Moving into our newly renovated and expanded SEA HQ in 2021
25. Receiving an AIA Oregon Merit Award for SEA HQ in 2022
