The 1950's
​The construction of the interstate highway system dominated much of the 1950’s, providing work throughout the region and across the country. Now with two separate chapters in the Inland Northwest, the AGC membership grew and became a more prominent voice in state and local politics. When Sam Guess took the reins of the highway chapter in 1954, one of his first goals was to establish a headquarters for the chapter. The AGC Building, where it stands today, opened in 1958.
Photo courtesy of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture
Photo courtesy of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture
1951
The Spokane AGC Heavy-Highway chapter partnered with the local Jaycees to send baseballs to troops in Korea. The AGC Building chapter moves its headquarters to the Fox Building.
1956
The first plans for the North Spokane Corridor were presented to the city for a cost of $13 million.
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The government awards the first batch of contracts to general contractors, many of them AGC firms, to build the interstate highway system. This includes work on I-90 through Spokane.
1953
The “Lift Slab” concrete technique comes to Spokane. Considered one of the most important construction techniques developed in the last decade, one of the first projects to use the new method was Northtown Shopping Center.
1958
The Spokane AGC chapter opened its offices at 4935 E. Trent Ave. in March 1958. The $100,000 project was built by Purvis Construction Co. and designed by the firm of Royal McClure and Tom Adkinson.
1954
Sam Guess, resident engineer at Fairchild Air Force Base, becomes Secretary-Manager of the AGC.
1955
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) is officially started.
Highlights
Presidents
Spokane Chapter Presidents
1948-1952 - N.A. Degerstrom, Degerstrom Construction
1953 - Dewey J. Murrow, F.R. Hewett & Co.
1954 - John M. Clifton, Clifton & Applegate, Co.
1955 - George B. Seebeck, Standard Asphalt Paving Co.
1956 - Frayne McAtee, Sr., McAtee & Heath
1957 - Max Kuney, Max J. Kuney Co.
1958 - Marion F. Castle
1959 - Carl Carbon
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Eastern Washington Building Chapter Presidents
1950 - Henry George, Henry George & Sons
1951 - Vern W. Johnson, Sr., Busboom & Rauh
1952 - J.L. Hazen, Hazen & Clark
1953 - Gus J. Bouten, Gus J. Bouten Construction Co
1954 - E.R. Haynes, Central Construction Company
1955 - Marvin H. Cherf, Cherf Brothers Construction
1956 - Halvor Halvorson, H. Halvorson, Inc.
1957 - Al Ruud, Ruud Construction Co.
1958 - James P. Purvis, Purvis Construction Co.
1959 - Richard E. Brown, Brown Building Materials
New Members
1952 - Frank Gurney Inc.
1954 - Wm. Winkler Co.
1955 - Edge Construction Supply