Jules Leffland

Cuero Commercial Historic District

Julius Carl "Jules" Leffland (September 9, 1854 - October 21, 1924)[1] was a Danish-born architect known for his work in Victoria, Texas, and throughout South Texas. He was active in South Texas from approximately 1886 until the 1910s. Many of his works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Biography

Leffland was born in Usserød, Denmark in 1854 and studied architecture at the Institute of Technology in Copenhagen. His grandfather and father were architects in Denmark. He was married in 1879 to Emilia Sophie Struck, and they had seven children. After beginning his career as an architect in Denmark, Leffland emigrated to the United States in 1886.[1][2] By the end of 1886, he had relocated to Victoria, Texas. He became one of the most prolific and respected architects in Victoria.[2] Leffland also designed numerous buildings in Cuero, Texas and was its "most active architect".[3] As his reputation grew, Leffland received commissions throughout South Texas, including Wharton, Beeville, Kingsville, and San Diego, Texas.[2] According to one account, "Leffland was well-versed in a variety of stylistic expressions, although the Neoclassical Revival mode seems to be not only his most successful style but his personal favorite as well."[2] By 1910, he had reportedly designed at least 80 structures, including churches, banks, city halls, hotels and residences across South Texas.[1] Many of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.[2][4] Leffland died in October 1924 in Victoria County, Texas.[5] His son Kai Leffland also was an architect and carried on Leffland's practice after his death.[2]

Retrospectives

In 1999, an exhibition at The Nave Museum in Victoria featuring Leffland's architectural drawings was opened under the title, "Architectural Drawings or Jules Carl Leffland."[6] In 2005, the Matagorda County Museum opened an exhibit featuring "the life and legacy of building designer Jules Leffland."[7]

Works

Leffland's works include:

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Anne Alcorn. "Leffland, Jules Carl". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Daniel Hardy, Marlene Heck, David Moore, Morgan Dunn 0'Connor, and John Ferguson (June 1985). "The Historic Resources of Victoria, Texas (Partial Inventory of Architectural and Historic Properties)". pp. 9, 19, 40, other.
  3. ↑ David Moore (July 1986). "The Historic Resources of Cuero, Texas (Partial Inventory of Architectural and Historic Properties)".
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  5. ↑ Ancestry.com. Texas Death Index, 1903-2000 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: Texas Department of Health. Texas Death Indexes, 1903-2000. Austin, TX, USA: Texas Department of Health, State Vital Statistics Unit.
  6. ↑ Tim Delaney (May 4, 2009). "Architect's works featured: Leffland's 1904 design included in Nave exhibit". The Victoria Advocate.
  7. ↑ Ross Cunningham (August 25, 2005). "Exhibit will showcase designs of Jules Leffland". The Victoria Advocate. p. 1.