Fred Bassetti, architect and shaper of Seattle: An appreciation

Fred Bassetti was central to the shaping of Seattle's skyline and self-image, a player in protecting the Pike Place Market ("an honest place in a phony time") from the ravages of urban redevelopment and the man responsible for distinctive quality architecture on college campuses across Washington.

An architect as well as a civic activist through five decades, the Seattle native died Thursday at the age of 96.