John Edward Mahlum

John Edward Mahlum was born to Edward and Annette Mahlum in Twin Cities Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota on 4 September 1939. The following year the family moved to Seattle, eventually settling in the Magnolia neighborhood where John spent most of his childhood. In 1942 his father was called to active duty, eventually serving during WWII in Iceland and later Scotland, not returning until 1945. John attended Queen Anne High School, then went on to study architecture at University of Washington, graduating in 1961.

In the summer of 1961 John met Hanna Liv Harvold aboard the ship Stavangerfjord when her family was returning home to Oslo, Norway and John was en-route to Europe on a traveling architectural scholarship. After a yearlong transatlantic courtship, they were married the following summer in Oslo in 1962. They moved to New York City, where John completed his Masters Degree at Columbia University, and then spent two years in the Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In 1966 they returned to Seattle with a daughter, Annette, and a second child, Paul, was born just after they bought their first house in Magnolia. A third child, Edward, followed in 1969.

Upon returning to Seattle, John joined his father’s architectural firm as a principal of Mahlum & Mahlum Architects, later Mahlum & Nordfors, currently Mahlum Architects. He commanded a distinguished portfolio in institutional facility design, including projects for many of the major educational and health services organizations of the Puget Sound region. John served as President of AIA Seattle in 1979 and subsequently a Fellow of The American Institute of Architects in 1983. He served as a Trustee of the Seattle Architectural Foundation, on the University of Washington Department of Architecture Professionals Advisory Council, and as a trustee of the Nordic Heritage Museum. John retired in 1999.

Retirement allowed John and Liv time for travel, spending time with family both in the Pacific Northwest and in Norway. They had learned to sail and enjoyed exploring the San Juans and Inside Passage as well as a memorable sailing trip in Greece. John treasured his family ties and spent much time visiting and learning about his and Liv’s family histories, people and places. Their children and five grandsons inspired many family adventures and traditions at their home in Magnolia, cabin in the San Juan Islands, on Mazama cross country ski trails, and later at Horizon House in Seattle.

John is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Annette and Jaime Smith, and their two sons Karl and Calvin Smith of Shaw Island; his son Paul Mahlum and husband Francisco Javier Soto of Seattle; and his son Edward Mahlum and his three sons Nathaniel, Theodore and Phineas Mahlum of Seattle.