CallisonRTKL Vice President Steve Dwoskin AIA, RAIC came across blueprints of the house his family had built and was fascinated, though as a fifth grader, he had no appreciation of its classic mid-century modern design. As a student at the University of Washington, he planned to major in communications and work in radio and television, but one day he wandered into the UW Department of Architecture’s Gould Hall and never looked back.
After earning his MArch degree, also from UW, Steve hopscotched across the country, from Fairbanks where he won his first AIA design award, to Seattle where he worked on Bellevue Square and then Boston to focus on public housing and follow his wife who was getting her MBA. Back in Seattle he answered a call from CallisonRTKL (then Callison) to start a shopping center practice. But first Steve would spend ten years helping lead the prestigious Nordstrom account.
After fielding a call for advice from a colleague in Russia, Steve found himself on the IKEA account, spending the better half of two years in Moscow. Ikea projects next took Steve to Bangkok, and just before heading home on the last of his 20+ trips, he was asked to stop in the New York office to help out for a few days. One year later, he finally headed back to Seattle, where his recent work includes master planning and mixed-use projects in Canada. Closer to home are his 300 Pine (formerly Macy’s) project in downtown Seattle and South Sound 911 Public Safety Communications Center in Tacoma.
“Steve is much greater than the sum of his parts—architect, advocate, mentor, leader, advisor and friend,” says CallisonRTKL Associate Vice President Sarah Holstedt RA, NCARB, LEED AP. Steve hired Sarah 15 years ago and she works directly with him.
“There are so many words to describe Steve,” she says, “but the one word that should have a picture of him next to it in the dictionary is ‘tireless.’ Steve has boundless reserves of energy.”
“On one of my first international business trips, I traveled with Steve to Bangkok, Thailand. After 18+ hours of travel and a typical first night of restless ‘sleep,’ he announced to me at breakfast that he had a couple of retail centers that he wanted to tour with me. Over the course of about eight hours, we walked through at least seven malls, of which only one was less than five levels, but had a concourse that could encircle three football fields end to end.”
“About two-thirds of the way around the loop, my body simply powered down. Steve still had plenty of stories to share and details for me to look at, but all I could focus on was moving one foot in front of the other. To Steve’s credit and indicative of his character, he stopped the tour, ordered the cab back to the hotel immediately and went into care-taking mode sorting out dinner plans to fuel his exhausted charge.”
“Steve hired me in 1993,” says CallisonRTKL Executive Vice President Matt Billerbeck, AIA, and I have so many stories. As an introvert, I have always been in awe of his extraordinary interpersonal skills. He connects easily and genuinely with others on a personal level. Over the years I have witnessed again and again how he puts his team first. He combines one of the sharpest minds with great humanity. He is strong and steady and always there for his team. His relationships are not transactional, because that is just who he is.”
Steve’s legacy is, indeed, so much more than his impressive numbers. Thirty-five years in practice at CallisonRTKL. Licensures in 38 of 50 U.S. states and eight of ten Canadian provinces. He’s racked up three million air miles (not points!) and touched hundreds of projects from Seattle to New York and from Moscow to Bangkok in addition to Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and China. Wherever he goes he makes connections, and everyone has a story.
“Steve was one of the principals who hired me when I came to Seattle to work for Callison as an architectural designer in the Nordstrom studio about 20 years ago,” says CallisonRTKL Lucy Baraquio AIA, LEED AP, who is now a CallisonRTKL vice president.
“He was the most approachable and friendly principal in the office. I’ll always be grateful to Steve for pushing me to get my architectural license. When he learned that there were a few young designers in the studio who had started the process of studying the ARE but were undecided about whether to continue, Steve decided to hold a contest. He announced that the first among us to pass all sections of the exam would win a fabulous prize, which would remain a mystery until there was a winner. Having been raised in a large family of highly competitive athletes, a contest was all the motivation I needed!”
“Even though I had two very young children at the time, I somehow managed to study for and pass all parts of the ARE within the year and ended up winning the contest. The prize was no doubt personalized just for me, a gift card for the Nordstrom Spa, which was the perfect thing for a young mother like myself, who would never otherwise have taken the time or spent the money for a spa day on my own.”
“Becoming a registered architect also gave me a deep sense of accomplishment and made all the hard work of my education and internships worthwhile. I’ve made it a point in my own career to encourage other aspiring architects to achieving their goal of licensure, the way Steve encouraged me and my peers when we needed it most.”
“We have a responsibility,” says Steve who always encourages those on his team to get licensed and to stay current. “We have a certain responsibility for the health and safety of the occupants of buildings that we design. Keep people safe. Keep the water out.”
“I had a great mentor,” he continues, “David Olson, an extremely talented architect and a nice guy who always found a way to keep everyone whole. I enjoy watching people develop personally and professionally. It’s very rewarding. Set people up for success. Then judge your success by the success of others.”