Denorval Unthank

Jr., architect and University of Oregon Faculty member[26]

What is Denorval Unthank known for?

DeNorval Unthank Jr., a notable alumnus of Franklin High School in Portland, Oregon, was a significant figure in American architecture and academia, being the first African American to earn an architecture degree from the University of Oregon (UO). Born on October 27, 1929, in Kansas City, Missouri, Unthank Jr. eventually moved to the Pacific Northwest with his family where his father served as one of Portland's first African American physicians and cofounded the Portland Urban League.

Unthank worked on a series of significant projects including the Lane County courthouse, the Kennedy Junior Middle School in Eugene, Oregon, and McKenzie Hall, formerly the UO School of Law building. His professional career started in 1952 when he began designing and building houses with Dick Chambers, later starting his own successful architectural firms including Wilmsen, Endicott and Unthank, Architects, and Unthank Seder Poticha Architects. Later, the firm became known as Unthank Waterbury, designing schools, public buildings, and business facilities throughout the state.

Unthank also left his mark on the world of education, serving as an architecture professor at UO from 1965 to 1980. Beyond his academic contributions, he had a significant personal life, marrying Doris Burgess in 1951 and later, Jill Coxon, with whom he had five children. His life ended on November 2, 2000, due to kidney cancer.

A legacy of architectural excellence followed Unthank posthumously, with a multitude of honors including becoming a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, twenty AIA awards, and having his name installed in Lawrence Hall at UO. In recognition of his contributions, UO now annually presents a Faculty Excellence Award in Unthank's name to support architecture faculty teaching and research. Moreover, in a significant honor, a dormitory in UO was renamed after him - Unthank Hall.

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