Crawford’s Contribution
A Music Building
My heart pounding, I walk up to the music building with my violin dangling off my shoulder. Taking a deep breath, I enter through the glass double doors and proceed to the room where I am about to audition for Orchestra. The piece I prepared is the 1st movement of Spring from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi. Silently playing through the song in my head, I take my violin out of its case and try to calm my nerves. Completed during the spring of 1960, the Crawford music building was dedicated to Seattle Pacific University from the family of Harold Crawford. In the end, my audition went better than expected For the next four years I will be spending a lot of time in this music building.
In the late 1940’s the president of Seattle Pacific, Dr. C. Hoyt Watson, sent the current head of the music department to speak with Wesley Crawford and his wife to propose the idea of creating a permanent music facility at Seattle Pacific University with their help. Wesley Crawford, a successful produce man, was good friends with Dr. Watson and had previously given a pipe organ to the school for use in the McKinley auditorium. This donation had originally sparked the Crawford family’s interest in the music program here at SPU.
On March 31, 1950 the Wesley Crawford foundation was established and it was decided that all the profit made from Wesley’s produce business was to be donated to the college. Exactly four months later, Wesley Crawford passed away and his son Harold was appointed to be the general manager of the foundation produce business by the foundation’s board of directors. Harold Wesley majored in mathematics at SPU and graduated in June, 1846. During the ’50s, the foundation accumulated funds and the construction of the Crawford Music building began in 1958. Altogether, the gifts donated from the Crawford family amounted to around one million dollars. After the completion of the music building in 1960, the foundation’s board gave the company to the school after deciding that they didn’t want to be in the produce business anymore.
Shaded under its surrounding trees, located on 3214 Fourth Avenue West in Seattle, Washington, Crawford stands two stories tall in the left corner of Tiffany Loop. This brick music building consists of four classrooms, offices, and an abundance of practice rooms. Throughout the building, there is beautiful artwork hanging on the walls. Pictures of instruments and colorful paintings are drawn to your attention as you walk by. Completely carpeted, three classrooms and the majority of offices are located on the second floor while the instrument storage and many practice rooms are scattered around the first. Each practice room has white concrete walls and is occupied by a piano.
If you listen closely, the soft sound of students practicing their instruments floats through the air, soft chatter and footsteps can also be heard, as well as the sound of running water from the bathrooms on each floor. The musty smell of this building is almost comforting and I feel completely at ease sitting silently in a practice room.
Reading about the Crawford foundation, family, and generous donations reminded me of Andrew Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth” Carnegie preaches that there are three different ways that an abundance of wealth should be used. He says, “It can be left to the families of the descendents; or it can be bequeathed for public purposes; or, finally, it can be administered by its possessors during their lives” (88). The Crawford Family followed these ways of giving. When Wesley passed away, his responsibilities in the produce business and Wesley Crawford foundation were passed on to his son. Through the donations of the pipe organ and the Crawford Music Building, the Crawford family also donated their money towards public purposes.
First introduced to rhythms and basic music elements in pre-k, I’ve always been drawn to music. In second grade I started learning my first instrument, the violin. Over the course of the next 10 years I’ve learned a variety of instruments ranging from the piano to the ukulele. Learning new instruments has always been a passion of mine and because of this I am thankful for the Crawford music building. As a violinist in the orchestra here at Seattle Pacific University, Crawford’s many practice rooms give me a comfortable place to rehearse individually. A large portion of my time throughout school has been spent in the music departments so spending time in the music buildings here on campus feels at home. I am very thankful for the donation of this building from this Crawford family, it enables students to become better musicians and really benefits the musical society.
A part of this campus since 1960, this music building has helped make a significant impact on the students at this college. We owe our gratitude to families like these who have helped our campus continue growing over the years. Without the generosity and support from these people, our school would not be the same community it is today.
Crawford, Harold, “The History of the Crawford Music Building” (2007). Speakers & Events. Paper 1057.
