Leroy Buffington
Leroy Sunderland Buffington (1847-1931) was an architect from Minnesota who specialized in designing hotels, public and commercial buildings, churches, and residences. He was born on September 22, 1847, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied architecture and engineering at the University of Cincinnati and graduated in 1869. He moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, becoming a partner of Abraham Radcliffe, and worked on the remodeling of the Minnesota State Capitol building. In 1881, he claimed to have thought up the idea of building skyscrapers by using load-bearing iron frames. He applied for a patent in November 1887 and received it in May 1888. However, he was mostly unsuccessful in collecting royalties from his patent, even though many subsequent builders used his method. He remained in private practice in Minneapolis, Minnesota until his death on February 15, 1931.[1]
Some of his works include:
- Pillsbury A Mill, Main Street and 3rd Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis (1880-82) (National Historic Landmark)
- Boston Block, Minneapolis (1881-84, razed 1942)
- Shipman/Greve House, 445 Summit Avenue, St. Paul
- Minneapolis Tribune building, Minneapolis (1883-84, razed 1889)
- West Hotel, Minneapolis (1884, razed 1940)
- Eddy, Pillsbury, Nicholson and Burton Halls within the University of Minnesota Old Campus Historic District (National Register of Historic Places)
- Second State Capitol Building, Wabasha Street, St. Paul; (1882-1905, razed 1938)
References
- ↑ Lathrop, Alan K. (2010). Minnesota Architects: A Biographical Dictionary. University of Minnesota Press.
External links
- Leroy Buffington profile
- Leroy Buffington at MNopedia
- Boston Block tribute by James Lileks
- Leroy Buffington at the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame
- Photos
- Leroy Buffington at the Minnesota Historical Society
- Leroy Buffington at the Hennepin County Library
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- September 1942 issue of Minnesota History