This twenty seven thousand square foot structure was built in 1965 for Pacific Northwest Bell. It was an International Style building, which essentially means it was a rigid, functional box designed for telephone equipment, not people. Naturally, it was the perfect place to put an art collection. In the late nineteen nineties, the university purchased the property and gutted the interior. The director affectionately calls the remodeled space a jewel box, full of warm colors, curving walls, and an intimate scale that completely defies its corporate origins. The initial push for this facility began with a massive donation of ancient and European art from Mark Sponenburgh. Sponenburgh was one of the Monuments Men. This was a specialized Allied military unit during World War Two dedicated to protecting cultural property and recovering art stolen by the Nazis. He was stationed at the Altaussee salt mine in Austria, the literal underground vault where masterpieces by Michelangelo and Vermeer had been hidden. Sponenburgh's firsthand experience pulling looted art out of the dark profoundly shaped the massive collection he later donated here. But the museum needed a permanent home, and that is where Hallie Ford stepped in. As we learned at Ford Hall, her incredible generosity added another major chapter to the story of women shaping this city. Ford's motivation was deeply personal. When she was in the fourth grade, her teacher recognized her talent and sent a note home recommending special art lessons. Knowing they could not afford it, her family hid the note to spare her feelings. Ford only learned about it as an adult. That deferred dream fueled a lifelong crusade to ensure others had the access to art that she was denied. Those colored reflector panels in the upper windows were added later by neon artist Dick Elliott. The museum director and Elliott had bonded years earlier during a highly stressful installation at another gallery where a complex light exhibit nearly failed to open on time. That shared panic forged a friendship that led Elliott to create these permanent, light responsive portals that shift colors depending on where you stand and the angle of the sun. If you want to check out the galleries, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to five.
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