William Martin Aiken
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| William Martin Aiken | |
| Born | April 1, 1855 Charleston, SC, USA |
|---|---|
| Died | December 7, 1908 |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse | Unmarried |
William Martin Aiken (April 1, 1855 —December 7, 1908) was an American architect who served as Supervising Architect of the United States Treasury and oversaw and participated in the design and construction of numerous federal buildings during his appointment that now reside on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents |
[edit] Early Life
William Aiken was born in Charleston, SC and educated at The University of the South from 1872-1874. He taught at his alma mater in his last year of attendance and moved to Charleston, SC to teach a special course Architecture. In 1877, he moved to Boston, MA and continued to teach Architecture at MIT until 1879. After leaving MIT, he served under in the office of noted Amercian architect Henry Hobson Richardson and left his office in 1883 to server under other architects until 1886. He left Boston to start his own practice in Cincinnati, OH. [1]
[edit] Supervising Architect
Aiken was appointed as Supervising Architect of the United States Treasury and sworn in on April 1, 1895. During his short tenure, he oversaw the design of many notable federal buildings such as the Denver and Philadelphia mints. He resigned his position on June 30, 1897 to practice architecture in New York with Bruce Price and act as a consultant architect to the City of New York. [2][3]
[edit] Notable Buildings
- Denver Mint (Initial Design) - Denver, CO[4]
- Philadelphia Mint - Philadelphia, PA[3]
- Castle Station US Post Office - Saginaw, MI[5]
- Allegheny US Post Office - Pittsburgh, PA[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Leonard, John William; Marquis, Albert Nelson (1903). Who's Who in America, 1903-1905, A.N. Marquis and Company, 12.
- ^ Taylor, James Knox (December 1908). "In Memoriam — William Martin Aiken" (reprint). The American Architect and Building News XCIV (1722): 213.
- ^ a b Aiken, William Martin (1906), “The Architecture of our Government Buildings”, in La Follette, Robert, The Making of America, The Making of America Co., <http://books.google.com/books?id=L5ABAAAAMAAJ&dq=William+Aiken+Martin+Bruce+Price&pg=PA279&ots=_8Qfy1Zro9&sig=nXp59aPcom4SfTOd11U9x8V_qfk&sa=X&oi=print&ct=result&cd=1&cad=legacy#PPA279,M1>
- ^ The Federal Presence - U.S. Mint Buildings Across the Nation. US Treasury. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
- ^ Saginaw. CASTLE STATION (SAGINAW POST OFFICE). National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
- ^ Background Information. Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
