Alfred H. Clise, 72, A Leader In Downtown Commercial Real Estate

His biography is like a page out of Who's Who, his reach in Seattle commercial real estate was mind-boggling. But to those who were close to him, Alfred H. Clise was first and foremost a father, husband and friend.

"He was completely devoted to his family. What was important to him was his wife and children," said one of his sons, Alfred M. Clise of Medina.

The younger Clise recalled how his father would travel around the country to watch him play basketball for the University of Nevada at Las Vegas from 1968 to 1971.

But before even that, the father took time from his work schedule to coach the baseball, basketball and football teams young Alfred was involved in.

Alfred Hammer Clise, a Bellevue resident who died Saturday at the age of 72 after a brief illness, was chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Clise Properties, Inc., and related family companies.

The pioneer Seattle-area family owns or has part-ownership of a number of major properties in downtown Seattle and the Denny Regrade, including the United Airlines Building, the Securities Building, the Westin Building, the Denny Building and the Best Western Executive Inn.

The Spanish-baroque Music Hall Theater, which had housed a succession of failed dinner theaters and was demolished in 1991 over the objections of arts and historic-preservation supporters, was a Clise property. The land at Seventh Avenue and Olive Way still belongs to the family.

Mr. Clise was the third generation of family members to head the Clise companies.

His grandfather, James Clise, came from San Francisco at the turn of the century. He was the property developer who convinced L.C. Smith, the typewriter company founder, to build the Smith Tower, and arranged for financing of its construction.

James Clise's wife, Anna, was the founder of Children's Orthopedic Hospital, now Children's Hospital and Medical Center. Their son, Charles Clise, headed the Clise companies before Alfred H. Clise.

Like his father, Mr. Clise was active in the Seattle business community.

He was a past member of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce's board of trustees, a member of the Downtown Seattle Association's senior advisory council, and a past president and lifetime trustee of the Building Owners and Managers Association, the group that represents owners, managers and operators of highrise office buildings.

He also served as a member of the Museum of History and Industry's board of trustees and Whitman College's board of overseers. He graduated from Lakeside School in Seattle in 1939 and received his bachelor of science degree in business administration from Whitman, in Walla Walla, in 1943. He met his wife, the former Joyce McKay, at Whitman.

Mr. Clise, who was born on Nov. 17, 1920, in Seattle, served as a Marine Corps officer in both World War II and the Korean War. He was wounded at Okinawa in 1945 when a 90-mm shell landed five feet from him.

In all, Mr. Clise served 22 years on active and reserve duty, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

Harvard Palmer, vice president and counsel for the Clise companies, said Mr. Clise was generous, and well-liked by the people who worked for him.

"He was a very nice guy to be around. We're going to miss the hell out of him," said Palmer.

Mr. Clise's son, Alfred, said not every offspring can work successfully in business with a parent.

"I was one of the lucky ones. I've worked in this office the past 12 years. We enjoyed spending every day together as business partners. I think one of the reasons it worked was he allowed me to make my way," letting the son make his own decisions, and mistakes.

Whereas some parents can be autocratic, Mr. Clise was not, said his son, who is president of the Clise companies.

Newspaper clippings record how various companies headed by Mr. Clise contributed to the evolving profile of Seattle's skyline.

But mixed in with such news as the unveiling of plans in 1967 for the 11-story Denny Building, bringing 140,000 square feet of office space to the Denny Regrade, were other indicators of the changes coming to Seattle.

Tenants of the old Security Public Market lost their leases in 1969 when the Clise-owned Washington Securities Co. decided to upgrade the Security Market Building on Third Avenue, near Virginia Street. The building had housed the market on its main floor.

The news stories also recount how in the early 1970s the Clise family, with Mr. Clise in the lead, donated 1.5 acres on Mercer Island to the city for a park, Clise Park.

Palmer, Mr. Clise's longtime business associate, said Mr. Clise was an avid sportsman. He hunted elk, moose, bighorn sheep and other big game throughout the western United States and British Columbia. He also was a duck hunter, and was a past president of the Swinomish Gun Club.

Alfred M. Clise, the son, said his father was a Boy Scout troop leader, and family vacations revolved around hiking, camping, fishing and other outdoor activities.

Mr. Clise was a member of the Washington Athletic Club and Seattle Tennis Club, as well as the downtown Rainier Club.

In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Clise is survived by son Richard Hammer Clise, Camano Island; sisters Sylvia Clise Duryee, Seattle, and Jocelyn Clise Horder, Poulsbo; and grandchildren Sarah McKenzie Clise and Jessica Anne Clise, both of Medina.

Mr. Clise's son, Charles McKenzie Clise, and daughter, Nancy Rosalind Clise, died in separate accidents in 1979 and 1981.

The funeral service for Mr. Clise is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. today at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina.

The family requests no flowers and suggests that remembrances be made to Children's Hospital or to a charity of the donor's choice.