Born on July 2, 1913 in Hurley, New Mexico and raised in Spokane, Bliss Moore, Jr. received his formal architectural education at the University of Washington, graduating in 1939. During school and upon graduation he worked for architect J. Lister Holmes (1936-1940).  Further experience was gained by working at the firm of Young & Richardson (1941-1946).

A design while working for Yong & Richardson, Dr. Herb Day House (1944) in Bellevue, gave home much needed confidence.  However it was the design for his own home, also in Bellevue (1947), that facilitated Moore opening his own firm in 1947.  The house brought him critical acclaim and publicity. It received an honorable mention in a 1947 House & Garden home design competition and was then featured in a variety of publications, including Pacific Northwest Book of Homes and Sunset.

Other notable projects include his design for the Bellevue Shopping Square (1948), the Crabapple Restaurant (1948) in Bellevue, the model home for builder Art Hainsworth Housing Development (1949) in Bow Lake, and the Anacortes Fire & Police Station (1952), which was completed posthumously.

Moore, a former member of the King County Planning Commission, passed away suddenly in 1951 just as his career was beginning to take off. He died in Bellevue at the young age of 38 on December 8th.

– Michael C Houser