Damon O. Runyon

 

Architect Damon Runyon was an old college friend of Buck Burshears originally from Longmont, CO. Damon, an Eagle Scout himself, volunteered to do the architectural drawings for the Kiva.

Runyon, a distant cousin of the late Colorado journalist and author, Damon Runyon, was born on March, 15 1913 in Denver. During his career, he designed and built dams in the Rocky Mountains, bridges over the Mississippi River and dams, bridges and elecrical lines in Thialand and at U.S. military bases in southeast Asia, Guam and the Middle East.

He was most proud of the log roof he designed for the Kiva in 1947. The roof of the circular Kiva, which is 60 feet in diameter, could have no supporting beams or interior supports. Many architects claimed it couldn't be done. The structure containing 647 logs, none over 26 feet long, is the largest log-supported roof in the world.

Damon O. Runyon died January 7, 1995 in Fremont, California, at the age of 81.