Tule Mat Pavilion Design
For people in Spokane, the shape of the U.S. Pavilion is iconic and unmistakable. Yet the original plans for Expo featured a very different U.S. Pavilion, one that survived to a fairly late phase of the planning process.
This design is strongly influenced by the tule mat lodge used traditionally by Plateau tribal nations in the Spokane area. The extended width may also be a nod to the longhouses built by the Nez Perce. (Above: Tule mat lodge on left, Nez Perce canvas longhouse on right, both from University of Idaho page on Plateau lodges.)
Artist’s rendering of tule mat lodge pavilion concept, via Spokane City Planning Department’s Expo ‘74 Collection.
Architectural rendering of tule mat lodge pavilion concept, now with American flag in center. This rendering is signed by "DINIZ/Carlos Diniz Associates." From Spokane City Planning Department’s Expo ‘74 Collection.
Scale model of tule mat lodge pavilion concept. From Spokane City Planning Department’s Expo ‘74 Collection.
The tule mat lodge design was created by Herb Rosenthal & Associates in conjunction with Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill. When it came time to hammer out the construction agreement, the cost of this design was over budget, and "renegotiation efforts were unsuccessful." Rosenthal & Associates entered into a new contract with Naramore, Bain, Brady & Johanson in January of 1973. The new pavilion design was the one we are all familiar with, and it incorporated some elements of the tule mat lodge design, like the "soft shell canopy covering a courtyard, theater, and holding area."
