Member - Bob Larson |
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A DREAM BUILDER "The great thing about being an architect is you can walk into your dreams." Harold E. Wagoner When architect Bob Larson and a handful of neighbors joined together to form the Del Ray Artisans (DRA), they created a dream for the community. With Peter Smirniotopoulos' idea of a functional artists collective, DRA embraced area residents who were restoring their homes and sprucing up their property and set to establish itself as a catalyst for the revitalization of Mount Vernon Avenue. Now, ten years later, the neighborhood of Del Ray has been featured in local and national magazines as a trendy 'Main Street' community. As a homeowner and businessman who had a vested interest in the 'shape' of the community, Bob's involvement with DRA was natural, but his contribution goes beyond being a founding member. With every move the DRA made to new gallery sites, he was there to clean, paint, and build. He drywalled, built display pedestals, suspended lighting, planted flower-beds, and helped to hang artwork for dozens upon dozens of gallery shows. And though he doesn't consider himself an artist, several DRA shows have featured Bob's photography, woodworking, and 3d-construction-like sculptures, such as the geodesic sphere that appeared in the Science & Nature show. Since his early days in high school, Bob has steadfastly pursued his career choice as architect. After majoring in architecture in college, he joined the Peace Corps with his wife Mart, a teacher. They were sent to Venezuela for a two-year stint where he served as an architect with the city planner. Some of the projects were big--creating bus stations and marketplaces--and some were of a more modest scale, helping individuals in need build their own homes. Each required that the design fit into the context of the city plan. From the Peace Corps, it was off to Chicago working for a firm to create large buildings such as schools, hospitals, and hotels. A few years later came the move here, and again Bob was working on big ($5 million plus) structures. One assignment took him to Singapore for 6 months to design a subway station! And though the original plan had been to stay in the DC metro area only a few years, in the end Bob and Mart decided to settle down in Del Ray. Bob hung out his shingle as a self-employed architect, and they started planning their 'dream house.' Designing and building the house was a family endeavor, and apart from pouring the foundation and shingling the roof, Bob, Mart and their two sons did the work themselves. It took 15 months, but every room they walk into represents their handiwork, from framing the walls and hanging the ceiling, to installing the windows and laying the Mexican tile floors. For many years now, Bob has been very active volunteering with the community program Christmas in April, to help poor, elderly and disabled families repair their homes. In addition to serving on their Board as President, Bob works on the houses painting, doing carpentry, and cleaning. Last year they helped 60 Alexandria families. As an architect of buildings big and small, overseas and in the neighborhood, Bob has made tangible the dreams of his clients and his family. His continuing contributions are making real the dreams for a community.
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