Main Menu 1

Dennis W. Nichols

1868 - 1922

Like many building contractors of the day, Dennis W. Nichols shifted to the role of architect during the later years of his career despite a lack of any formal training. He was born on March 28, 1868 in Illinois and grew up in Indiana. Nichols became a carpenter by trade, however, many details about his early life are unknown. 

By 1900 at the age of 32 he was working in Pendleton, Oregon as a carpenter/ building contractor. Then after a short stint in Baker City, Oregon, he moved to Vancouver in 1906 and began marketing himself as an architect. 

His know project include the County Poor Farm, Pendleton, OR (1903); an Opera House in Kelso (1907); the Vancouver Carnegie Library (1909, with William Kauffman); the IOOF Hall in Yacolt (1914); Lampert School in Ridgefield (1917); a 3-story addition at Vancouver High School (1919); the American Legion Building in Vancouver (c1920); an addition to Ridgefield Public School (1921); Odell School in Hood River, OR (1921); and the Masonic Temple in Centralia (1922).

While he had a short-lived partnership with G. Albert Carpenter (1909), generally he practiced alone, but was often asked to be the local supervising architect for projects by other architects whom resided outside of city. He also served as the local supervising architect for the School for the Death – Admin Building (1917, with Julius Zittel); and the Kitchen and Shop School for the Blind (1917, with Julius Zittel).

His career spanned for 16 years, and at the time of his death he was the only practicing architect in the city. Nichols passed away on May 10, 1922 a few days after he took a deadly fall at the construction site of the Harney Elementary School. He is buried in Indianapolis, Indiana at Anderson Warren Park Cemetery.

By Michael Houser, State Architecural Historian - Oct 2021

Bibliography

“Sold by Wade & Son” East Oregonian, Nov 12, 1904. Pg 7.

“Notice to Contractors”, The Tacoma Daily Ledger, Sept 21, 1907.

“Carnegie Gets No Credit”, Morning Oregonian, Oct 27, 1910. Pg 1.

“State Institutions”, Colville Examiner, June 17, 1916. Pg 1.

“Wind Rocks Schoolhouse”, Morning Oregonian, December 5, 1916. Pg 18.

“New Building Will Rise”, Morning Oregonian, April 20, 1917. Pg 11.

 “Julius Zittle, of Spokane and Dennis Nichols, of Vancouver, have been…” Domestic Engineering – May 5, 1917

 “Vancouver, Wash. – D. Nichols, Architect” American Architect – June 27, 1917

“Bids wanted for New School Building” The Oregon Daily Journal – July 1, 1918. Pg 15.

“Bids Asked on School Construction” The Oregon Daily Journal – March 10, 1919. Pg 15.

“Ridgefield, Wash., Plans School”, The Morning Oregonian, April 10, 1920. Pg 13.

“Legion will Build Home”, The Morning Oregonian, October 8, 1920. Pg 22.

“Portlanders Will Build Odell School”, Hood River Glacier Newspaper, May 26, 1921. Pg 1.

“Centralia, Wash. – Masonic Temple” American Architect – June 22, 1921

“Vancouver, Wash. – School” American Architect – June 22, 1921

“Fall at School is Fatal to Nichols”, The Daily Oregonian, May 10, 1922

“Architect Dies from Fall”, The News Tribune, May 11, 1922. Pg 14.

“Dennis Nichols”, The Daily Oregonian, May 13, 1922

“Architect Allowed Pay for Services”, The Daily Oregonian, July 21, 1922. Pg 16.

Advertisement - “Pacific Northwest Brick”, Statesman Journal, May 10, 1925. Pg 12.