Tour Guide Spotlight: Meet Lee N.
Not everyone looks at a concrete building and sees a work of art. But SAF volunteer tour guide Lee N. might just convince you to take a second look.
A self-described admirer of Brutalist architecture, Lee has been guiding with SAF since 2024. This year, he took his passion a step further, developing Concrete Ambition, a new walking tour exploring the University of Washington's modernist and Brutalist architecture. The tour has quickly become a hit, inviting guests to discover the beauty, ambition, and stories behind these often misunderstood buildings.
Lee's architectural curiosity began well before he became a guide. Through his Instagram account, Concrete Archivist, he had been researching and sharing architecture independently. But something was missing.
"You can't separate architecture from the community of people that surrounds it," Lee explains. Becoming an SAF guide offered a way to turn that independent research into a shared experience.
And what fascinating stories he's uncovered along the way!
While researching Concrete Ambition, Lee discovered an amusing anecdote involving celebrated architect Paul Thiry and sculptor Dudley Pratt. Thiry had commissioned Pratt to create a sculpture for UW's new electrical engineering building but kept changing his mind about what he wanted. Unfortunately for Pratt, working in stone doesn't exactly lend itself to last-minute revisions.
Lee imagines a modern-day Thiry "sending a wall of text messages at 2 AM and proudly telling stories where he was the problem."
Even architectural legends, it turns out, could be difficult clients!
Behind Lee's humor is a genuine appreciation for architecture that challenges conventional ideas of beauty.
"I think we have an obligation to consider different kinds of beauty," he says. "Neotraditional buildings get a lot of credit, but modernism can be just as striking. It just takes a different kind of eye."
His favorite Seattle building? The former Seattle City Light power control center in Belltown, whose midcentury design captures an era of optimism about electrical power. As Lee puts it, "It doesn't look like an office, it looks like a temple."
For anyone considering becoming an SAF guide, Lee offers a reminder that some of the best architectural discoveries begin with a conversation. Research isn't just about archives and books; it's about connecting with the people who know a place and its history.
Thank you, Lee, for bringing your curiosity, humor, and architectural enthusiasm to SAF! Through Concrete Ambition, you're helping us see familiar places through a different lens—and reminding us that every design has a story worth discovering.
Follow Lee's architectural explorations on Instagram @concretearchivist, and discover Seattle's modernist side on SAF's Concrete Ambition walking tour.
