First Unitarian Church (Portland, Or.)

Jamieson Kirkwood Parker (1895-1939) was born in Portland to Horatio H. and Charlotte Boykin Parker and died at his hometown. While in high school, Parker worked in the offices of Portland architect, A.E. Doyle. He designed the lettering on the exterior of the Multnomah County Public Library in downtown Portland during this time. After graduating from the Portland Academy, he earned a degree in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania in 1916 and opened an architectural office in Portland that year.

Parker designed mostly churches and residences, primarily in Portland, but also elsewhere in the state. He also designed residences in Washington state and Victoria, British Columbia. Most of his designs reflect Colonial revival influences, but his work also shows Arts and Crafts, Classical, English, and Romanesque influences.

A noted architectural historian, Parker was director of the Historic American Buildings Survey, District 39 (Oregon and Washington), 1934-1938. He also served as president of the American Institute of Architects. Later, he joined the Federal Housing Authority in Portland, and, at the time of his death, Parker was one of its directors. He was active in Columbia Gorge conservation and worked on preservation of the Pioneer Courthouse in downtown Portland. Parker married Margaret Biddle in 1923, and they had three children.

From the guide to the First Unitarian Church Exhibit: Architecture of Jamieson Parker Photographs, 1911-circa 1970, circa 1970, (Oregon Historical Society Research Library)