Meet our Guides!
Our expert guides are excited to share the architecture, design, and history of our beautiful city. Some of our guides are professional architects, engineers, designers, and contractors. Others bring diverse perspectives from other fields, but all share a passion for the built environment. Our guides receive extensive training on leading tours to offer you a great experience.
Evan Chakroff: Architect, ex-engineer, amateur photographer and occasional essayist, I moved to Seattle in 2013 and have led tours for SAF since 2019. Before moving to Seattle, I lived and worked in Switzerland, Italy, China, and traveled extensively during my years abroad, fueling my passion for exploration and cultural immerson. On weekends you might find me racking my e-bike at one of Seattle's excellent breweries or livestreaming an improvised jam session on my modular synthesizer. Seattle's architecture inspires me, but it's the landscape that keeps me here with incredible views and endless opportunities to wander.
Nancy Day: I first trained on the Art Deco tour and in 2020 first led "Stone to Steel: Seattle Style from Then 'til Now", which I put together from other tours and from things I've learned while auditing architecture classes at the UW. I love meeting our tour participants who share my excitement about our built environment. I enjoy being a Seattle ambassador for our out-of-town visitors, and I get great ideas from them about places to visit, buildings to see, and tours to take when I travel. I'm a big fan of the Exchange Building, an Art Deco gem built on the brink of the stock market crash in 1929.
Jamie Trenda: My love of architecture began in elementary school when my teacher introduced us to the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. Even more than the beautiful designs, I was drawn to the realization that the places we live in and visit every day were carefully designed by someone. By leading tours for SAF, I get to share my love for the cityscape with others. Having grown up in the Seattle area, my favorite built design is the arches at the Pacific Science Center. They are iconic and beautiful and bring back memories of fun field trips in my school days.
Aaron Swain: I am a Senior Associate at Weber Thompson and have been leading tours at SAF for over 15 yeras. I developed and have continued to revise the South Lake Union tour, which I currently lead. Seattle Tower has long made the list of my favorite buildings—the variation in brick colors to provide the fading quality from bottom to top is incredible, let alone the intricate lobby details and a fantastic example of NW Art Deco. The built and natural environments have always helped me connect with myself, organize my thoughts, and keep life interesting!
Austin Watson: I am a retired electrical engineer, living in a high-rise condo in downtown Seattle. I like leading tours of my neighborhood and my city. Put me anywhere in the city and I will show you something interesting. While I appreciate our grand and historic buildings, some of my favorites are the quirky vernacular buildings, apartments by Anhalt, mid-century gems by Kirk and Thiry, the broad spectrum of Seattle libraries (Beacon Hill is my fave), and Art Deco Seattle City Light substations here and there. When not wondering Seattle, I like to fly, sail, bike, bake bread, or make ice cream.
Bill Strong: I spent my professional career in architecture practicing for 40 years. I gave tours through the AIA in Kansas City, MO before moving to Seattle and joining SAF. In 1988 I was part of a task force that formed SAF's tours program and our first tour, "View from Above – View from Below." A favorite Seattle building is the Smith Tower for its place in time and history and for the man who conceived it. My favorite part of being a tour guide is the friends I have met (and kept!) through the years and the excitement and enjoyment of all the tour attendees.
Jim Rymsza: I'm a registered architect. During my career, I've had the privilege to work on some truly inspirational projects with some very talented people. I now have my own firm, concentrating primarily on residential projects. I like the intimacy that working directly with homeowners brings. Being a tour guide with SAF gives me the opportunity to share my love of architecture with others. Some of my favorite Seattle buildings are: The Exchange Building, an Art Deco masterpiece; Two Union Square, a modern gem; and St. Ignatius Chapel on Seattle University's campus. When not working, you can find me playing Bluegrass, volunteering on Washington's hiking trails or in my garden.
Jessica Gentile: I am a licensed architect with Olson Kundig and am a newer tour guide with SAF. I am trained on the Greatest Hits and the Through the Looking Glass tour. I wrote and led a tour in partnership with the Frye Museum that explored the connection between art and architecture. I often point out hidden details or "easter eggs" in building design that people rarely notice. My favorite building to tour is the Seattle Public Library, I love decoding its unique shape and function. When not designing for building, I turn my attention to the stage and performing arts.
Marie Blackburn: I first encountered SAF walking tours as a guest, then went through training to guide the Greatest Hits tour downtown. For several years now I’ve been guiding both the Harvard-Belmont and Federal Avenue tours on Capitol Hill. I love highlighting the pioneers that settled Seattle, their beautiful homes, and their quest to carve a world-class city out of the frontier. My favorite part of any tour is when a guest shares their connection to the story and it all comes to life in a whole new way. I’m an interior designer, a history nerd, and a big fan of the walruses on the Arctic Building.
Maurice Diaz: I am a registered architect and have been an SAF tour guide since 2018. I am trained to lead two tours - Greatest Hits (Seattle Skyline) and South Lake Union. A favorite Seattle building is City Hall - for its materiality, views, response to climate, and overall siting. If there was such a thing as a “Seattle-Style” of architecture, this building would be a prime example. I enjoy being an SAF tour guide because it allows me to educate both visitors and locals about Seattle’s history and built environment. Generally, I find walking tours an ideal way to explore new places, and conversely, I like to seek them out when I find myself in new locales. Aside from travel, I enjoy cuisine of all types, foreign films, and collecting comic books.