Gardiner, James C.

James Cecil Gardiner was born in San Francisco on June 24, 1917, and was educated at the University of Southern California and the University of Washington. He worked for Herman Charles Light in Los Angeles in 1939 and 1940. In 1940, Gardiner moved to Seattle, where he first worked for the firm of McClelland & Jones. During WWII, he worked for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Yards & Docks and for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

After the war and upon receiving his architectural license in 1946, Gardiner established an independent practice in Seattle. His work ranged from residential to commercial and stretched from Seattle to Tacoma. Many of his designs can be found in a variety of architectural journals including Progressive Architecture. Among his notable projects are the State Department of Game Headquarters (1948) on Fairview Ave in Seattle; and Gardiner’s own home in Tacoma (1945).

In 1950, he moved to the Portland area, opening a new office in Beaverton. One year later he joined the Oregon Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Among his notable works are the Beaverton City Hall (1958) and the Forest Grove City Hall (1959). James C. Gardiner died in Oregon on March 13, 1967 at the age of 50.