When Rico Quirindongo was in 11th grade, he was good at math and also passionate about art. The two pursuits remained separate until he made a discovery that would impact the course of his life. "I took a drafting class that made me realize that math plus art equals architecture," Quirindongo says. "I decided that architecture was what I wanted to do.”
Following his newly discovered passion, the young Quirindongo enrolled at Washington University at St. Louis, where he graduated in 1992 with a degree in architecture and African-American studies. A strong student with diverse interests and a penchant for social justice, Quirindongo could have gone almost anywhere for his graduate degree, but after four years in the Midwest, the only place he saw himself landing was home in Seattle. In September 2023 he became the director of the city's Office of Planning and Community Development.
“I wanted to practice here and be part of the growth of a city where my roots are and where my heart is,” Quirindongo says. “I wanted to invest in the fabric of our young city and be a part of transforming it for the future. If I hadn’t been so strongly pulled back to Seattle after undergrad, I might have stayed at Washington University because they offer a dual degree in social work and architecture.”
In 1993, Quirindongo started a Master of Architecture degree at the University of Washington, where he tailored his graduate studies to mirror the program at Washington University. “I had been exploring race, identity, and social issues through art since I was young,” he says, “so it was natural for that to translate into exploring social justice issues and social change issues in architecture.”
For his thesis project, Quirindongo explored co-locating the former African American Academy K-8 School—one of ten alternative schools opened in the 1990s by the city, it shuttered in 2009—with the Northwest African American Museum. An additional element of the proposed project was the creation of first-time home-buyer incentives that would help community members buy residences, a key component to creating generational wealth and economic stability. “It was a very ambitious thesis project,” Quirindongo says, “but I got into architecture because I believed that we could solidify social change through the built environment.”
Quirindongo still holds this view today. After more than 20 years in the field, he continues to put community engagement at the forefront of his practice. In addition to five years as the board president for the American Institute of Architects, Seattle Chapter, Quirindongo was a council member for the local preservation organization Historic Seattle, a council member of the Pike Place Market Preservation & Development Authority, and a board member of the National Organization of Minority Architects, Northwest Chapter. (He also served on ARCADE’s board of trustees for two years.) But Quirindongo wants more than a single seat at the table. He believes deeply in the power of involving local communities in design projects in their neighborhoods.
“Any time you’re doing a project, there’s an opportunity to think about how you’re continuing the public realm,” he says. “All projects should have an aspect of community engagement. Go into the community and ask what people think of the site, ask them what the neighborhood needs, ask them how [the project] fits into the context of the existing buildings. This approach not only allows the community to have input and feel like they are a part of the development, but it can potentially make the project better in the end.”
After finishing his graduate studies, Quirindongo worked at DKA Architecture and DLR Group, with a three-year stint in San Francisco in between. Upon returning to Seattle and DKA Architecture in 2002, he became the project architect for the Northwest African American Museum. It was a full-circle moment and one of the projects he is most proud of (the building includes 36 units of low-income housing above the museum). “I was born in the Central District,” Quirindongo says. “I’ve watched that neighborhood change. In my position now, I’m hoping to achieve greater housing equity across the city.”
In January 2021, Quirindongo was named the acting director at the Office of Planning and Community Development at the City of Seattle, a role turned permanent with a unanimous vote by the Seattle City Council in June 2023. In this position, and with his years as an architect, Quirindongo is poised to change the city. He’s currently working on long-range housing policies that will impact the trajectory of city growth. In addition to overseeing Seattle’s compliance with the state’s “middle housing law,” which rezones neighborhoods to allow more units on lots that traditionally could only hold single-family homes, Quirindongo is working for increased density around commercial zones and transportation hubs.
“We’re going to need to accommodate 200,000 to 250,000 new people in the city over the next 20 years,” Quirindongo says, acknowledging that while the city will see a continued influx of transplants moving here for jobs, it also has an affordable housing crisis that is hitting Black and BIPOC families especially hard. “Creating more density at locations with rapid transit stops and light rail stations will make owning a car less of a requirement, and ensuring we provide an opportunity for more affordable housing at these locations will positively impact lower-income families.”
Addressing the housing crisis is no small task. One project Quirindongo was involved in was the development of Midtown Square on the corner of 23rd Avenue and East Union Street, in the heart of the Central District—a historically Black neighborhood. When a white developer started a redevelopment project there, Quirindongo and Vivian Phillips, founder and board president of Arte Noir, an arts organization focused on highlighting the work of Black artists, were brought in to act as conduits between the contractors and the community. The two worked to find the best path forward that wouldn’t continue to displace people from the area. Built along a transit corridor, the project has almost 600 housing units; 30% are affordable units. “We brought in BIPOC artists to transform the buildings, and the ground floor is populated with Black-owned businesses,” Quirindongo says. “It has become a destination location with vibrant street-facing storefronts. To be a part of that today and have it anchored in African-American history, culture, and placemaking was really meaningful for me.”
Quirindongo has stepped into a role with its fair share of challenges, but he’s already proving that positive change is possible with creative thinking, community engagement, and an optimistic outlook. The city is seriously backing that bet. In September 2023, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced $9.5 million in awards to multiple Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) partners to support property ownership among Seattle’s diverse communities in neighborhoods at high risk of displacement. Quirindongo believes that with legislation, incentives for developers to include affordable housing and local businesses in their plans, and the flexibility for homeowners to use their property for more than a single-family home, Seattle can further evolve into a vibrant, people-forward city with flourishing neighborhoods where individuals from all backgrounds and socio-economic spheres thrive. Ultimately, it all comes back to community.
“One thing I’ve learned over the years is that there is hope, no matter how complex or frustrating the political environment is, no matter how high the interest rates get, no matter how challenging it seems to access capital,” he says. “There is always a path. Sometimes, you need a little help along the way, but I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t benefit from the sacrifices other people made for me, whether it’s the gift of time, advice, or mentoring. That’s another lesson I took into adulthood: Don’t be afraid to dream, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
