Kirtland Cutter

Who was Kirtland Cutter?

Kirtland Kelsey Cutter was a 20th-century architect in the Pacific Northwest and California. He was born in East Rockport, Ohio, the great-grandson of Jared Potter Kirtland. He studied painting and illustration at the Art Students League of New York. At the age of 26 he moved to Spokane, Washington and began working as a banker for his uncle. By the 1920s Cutter had designed several hundred buildings that established Spokane as a place rivaling Seattle and Portland, Oregon in its architectural quality. Most of Cutter's work is listed in State and National Registers of Historic Places.

His design for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair Idaho Building was a rustic design log construction. It was a popular favorite, visited by an estimated 18 million people. The building's design and interior furnishings were a major precursor of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Cutter also worked in partnership with Karl G. Malmgren as Cutter & Malmgren and variations.