Clark County History: Day Hilborn was Clark County’s landmark architect

In 1927, a two-man architectural firm moved from Centralia to Vancouver. A Columbian headline on the brief announcement was simply titled, “Believe in Vancouver.” One of the partners, Day Hilborn, later broke from his partner Richard Gough to run his own firm, becoming a prolific architect in Washington and Oregon. Until he died in 1970, that headline proved true. Even when starting out earning $10 a month, he stayed committed to his profession and the region. Today, homes he built remain prized by their owners, and his buildings, like the Kiggins Theatre, are local treasures.

Born on a Michigan farm, Hilborn and his family moved to Washington, eventually settling in Centralia, where he played high school basketball. Days after getting his high school diploma, he starred in a musical comedy, unleashing a life-long interest in music. In 1916, he joined the Army and was sent to the Mexican border and France.

Returning, he studied art at Washington State College in Pullman. Walking across campus from the library to his room each night, he was intrigued by the always-lit windows in the college’s School of Architecture building, and eventually shifted his major from art to architecture. While in Pullman, Hilborn played piano for Sunday school classes, joined the WSC glee club and traveled with the group around the state singing the 1920s musical comedy.

Post-graduation, Hilborn joined architect Gough as a construction superintendent and earned his real estate license. When they moved to Vancouver, the firm reformed as Gough & Hilborn.

He eloped to Seattle with Woodland school principal Dorothy White the following year. Returning to Vancouver, the couple involved themselves in the community, raising their three children here, with Hilborn playing the lead in “The Mikado,” a light opera. In 1928, he constructed his first Vancouver building, the Arts Building at Main and 11th streets.

Eventually, he opened a practice at 1208 Main St., moving it to 307 E. 10 St. in 1938. He did most of his design in the well-lit, one-story studio, which was demolished after his death to make room for the Vancouver Community Library at Evergreen and Broadway.

By 1936, Washington licensed Hilborn as a structural engineer; the following year, both Washington and Oregon licensed him as an architect. The American Institute of Architects admitted him in 1939, based on his design of Kiggins Bowl stadium, the Kiggins Theatre and the Centralia National Guard Armory. Other local buildings he designed include the Clark County Courthouse, Spic-N-Span (1411 Washington St., now Muchas Gracias), the Vancouver Federal Savings and Loan (1205 Broadway, now Chase Bank) and the former home of The Columbian (110 E. Evergreen Blvd.).

Amidst his busy design practice, Hilborn remained involved with many local organizations. Still, he carved out time for the music he loved. He joined an Elks foursome as a bass, and they traveled throughout Oregon and Washington, competing in barbershop quartet contests. Sometimes, he soloed at Vancouver Rotary Club luncheons.

Like his contemporaries, Hilborn lived in the shadow of America’s greatest architect of the era, Frank Lloyd Wright. Unlike Wright, Hilborn didn’t have a uniquely dramatic style. Instead, he anchored himself as the most prolific, recognizable and diverse structuralist in two states. His work included homes, apartments, civic centers, commercial buildings, theaters, banks and municipal buildings.