We hope everyone had a chance to see the beautiful artwork of Jenny Dewey and Tamar Shaddeau in our UUCM library over the past three months. We are so fortunate to have such gifted artists ready and willing to share their talents with us. Thank you, Jenny and Tamar!
Our final exhibition in the Church Street building will be one of our more unusual. Jeff Gold will be showing his architectural drawings from over the years, many of them from places you might recognize. His official reception will be in the library, on Sunday, March 8, during both social hours. Please plan to stop by, take in his display and ask any questions that may arise.
In Jeff’s own words, here is more about him and his architectural journey:
Early Years:
My earliest ‘training’ began at three, thanks to my mother who provided hefty blocks at her pre-school and encouraged my play. When I was six years old [1955] I remember a house nearby under construction where I would wander through the framing maze and gather bent nails as treasures to save. At age 10, I announced I wanted to be an architect.
In 1957, I had the good fortune to move with my family into a new home, located in the Eichler ‘Greenmeadow’ residential community of Palo Alto. This development was ‘modernist’ in design, with a community center park, pool and preschool. The homes had radiant heated floors with natural cork tiles, floor to ceiling glass panels, post and beam construction, and wood paneled interiors. I recall the joy of studying the form, lines and structure of this very simple but elegant home. There were many adventures in the early years that trained my eyes and hands — drafting classes in 8th and 11th grade, and later on as an Art major at Antioch College taking drawing and sculpture classes in the mid 60’s.
Throughout my early developmental years I was encouraged to purse my ‘passions,’ with a deep appreciation for all forms of artistic endeavors including instrumental music [clarinetist since age 9]. My family nurtured the values of ‘team effort’ and making contributions to the community.
Nevada City Practice:
In 1988 I moved to Nevada City, set up an office in a custom studio at my new residence where I conducted my design-build practice from 1990 to 2017. Overall, during my 45-year career I completed 250 projects, most of them in Nevada County. The projects are highly varied and include custom residences, historic renovations, commercial and institutional buildings, religious facilities, schools, fire stations [Grass Valley and Gridley], a city hall [city of Gridley], a radio station [KVMR in Nevada City], and long-range planning studies for public and private agencies. A few of the projects include:
- BriarPatch Cooperative Market: includes a 25,000 sf building shell and market interior in 2007, and a more recent addition of parking, landscaping, and a solar panel array that provides over half the electricity required for the market.
- Granite Wellness Rehabilitation Center: a 40,000 sf three-building campus funded by an FHA community development program; this drug-rehab center in Grass Valley includes out-patient, residential and urgent care programs.
- KVMR Community Radio Station & Nevada Theatre Renovation: A 10,000 sf four-story new building designed to be compatible with the downtown historic district of Nevada City; provides broadcasting and staff facilities for the local community radio station, and multi-level backstage facilities for the existing and adjoining Nevada Theatre.
- Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis: A 6,000 sf multipurpose social hall and renovation of the sanctuary for the Davis Church. The project included a long-range master plan and obtaining an updated County Use Permit for the 8-acre property.
Design Philosophy:
I approached each project in my career as a unique opportunity to make a lasting contribution to the building users and harmonious to the site setting. My design philosophy is grounded in collaboration and advocacy of the client, and the importance of durability, sustainability, and the artful nature of creating structure and space.
I emphasized in my design the importance of heightening our awareness of nature and indoor-outdoor connections; of natural materials and natural lighting; and the visceral experience of architecture — its form, structure, space, material surfaces and craft of detailing. I have integrated the practice of architecture with the construction process itself, serving as both architect and building contractor in a master-builder approach for numerous projects throughout my career. The breadth of these skills has made possible a more comprehensive approach toward the ‘art of building.’