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Frederick Widmann
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Frederick Widmann (1859-1925) was a German-born American architect and philanthropist.
Early life
Frederick Widmann was born in 1859 in Germany.[1] He emigrated to the United States in 1874, settling in St. Louis, Missouri.[2] Widmann was an apprentice carpenter to Walsh and Jungenfeld for three years and he studied at Washington University in St. Louis.[2]
Career
Widmann co-founded Widmann & Walsh, an architectural firm with Robert W. Walsh.[2] Around 1900, alongside architect Caspar D. Boisselier they designed the Orthwein Mansion for William D. Orthwein,[1] which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3]
Meanwhile, Widmann designed "many large industrial plants, public buildings, and some of the largest breweries in the country, including the Anheuser-Busch plants in St. Louis, Omaha, San Antonio, Houston, Chicago, and New York."[2] In 1903, he designed "The Pike" for the St. Louis World's Fair 1904.[4]
Widmann designed his private residence at 3545 Longfellow Boulevard in Compton Heights, a German enclave of St. Louis, Missouri.[1][5] It was designed in the Prairie School architectural style, with a side cupola.[5]
Beyond architecture, Widmann was also an explorer of asphalt and oilfields in Utah from 1883 to 1923.[2]
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Philanthropy
Widmann was a member of the Liederkranz Club, a German-American social club in St. Louis.[6] During World War I, he served as the President of the St. Louis War Relief Bazaar.[7][8] The organization raised US$100,000 for German orphans and widows.[7][8] To honor his effort, Widmann was the recipient of the second degree of the Austro-Hungarian Red Cross from Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in 1916.[7][8]
Death and legacy
Widmann died in 1925.[1] In his will, Widmann endowed the Frederick Widmann Prize in Architecture at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts of his alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis.[2][9] The prize gives US$1,500 to an architecture student annually.[9] Furthermore, Widmann Canyon in Utah was named in his honor.[2]
References
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