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==Designs for Albert Kahn Associates, 1915 to 1922==
==Designs for Albert Kahn Associates, 1915 to 1922==


* Harlan Hatcher [[University of Michigan Library]] (with Ernest Wilby) (1915 - 1920), Ann Arbor, Michigan<ref name=shortbio>{{cite web|title=Letter from Wirt C. Rowland to The Harvard Architectural School Alumni Association, dated March 24, 1932|url=http://ilovedetroitmichigan.com/detroit-architecture/wirt-rowland-a-short-biography/?show=gallery&nggpage=6#!wp-prettyPhoto[g4660]/37/|work=Wirt Rowland - A Short BIography|year=2012}}</ref>
* Harlan Hatcher [[University of Michigan Library]] (with Ernest Wilby) (1915 - 1920), Ann Arbor, Michigan<ref name=shortbio>{{cite web|title=Letter from Wirt C. Rowland to The Harvard Architectural School Alumni Association, dated March 24, 1932|url=http://ilovedetroitmichigan.com/detroit-architecture/wirt-rowland-a-short-biography/?show=gallery&nggpage=6|work=Wirt Rowland - A Short BIography|year=2012}}</ref>
* [[Langley Field]] Hangars and Executive Buildings, including the current [[Air Combat Command]] Headquarters Building (1917), Point Comfort, Virginia
* [[Langley Field]] Hangars and Executive Buildings, including the current [[Air Combat Command]] Headquarters Building (1917), Point Comfort, Virginia


Revision as of 18:03, 17 June 2012

Wirt C. Rowland
Born(1887-12-01)December 1, 1887
Clinton, Michigan
DiedNovember 30, 1946(1946-11-30) (aged 58)
Detroit, Michigan
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArchitect
PracticeSmith Hinchman & Grylls
Head Designer (1922-30)
BuildingsBankers Trust Building (1925)
Buhl Building (1925)
Penobscot Building (1928)
Guardian Building (1929)

Wirt Clinton Rowland (December 1, 1887 - November 30, 1946) was an American architect best known for his work in Detroit, Michigan.[1][2]

Biography

See also: Architecture of metropolitan Detroit
The Guardian Building in Detroit, with its lavish interior.

Rowland was born and raised in Clinton, Michigan. In 1901, he landed a job as an office boy for the Detroit firm of Rogers and MacFarlane, quickly moving on to the prestigious George D. Mason firm. In 1909, he joined the office of Albert Kahn, who had also apprenticed under Mason. In 1910, with the encouragement of both Mason and Kahn, Rowland attended the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Cambridge, for a year.[1]

The combination of Rowland's natural design talent, Harvard education, and Detroit's healthy economy positioned him to make major contributions to the city's architecture. Rowland is a case study in design attribution. In 1911, in the office of Kahn, he and Ernest Wilby are said have been primarily responsible for the Hill Auditorium at the University of Michigan. Through 1915 Rowland worked for the local firm of Malcomson & Higginbotham. He then returned to Kahn's office, contributing to the firm's classic projects, namely the Hatcher Graduate Library at the University of Michigan, the Detroit News Building, the First National Bank Building(1922), and the General Motors Building (1922) renamed Cadillac Place.[1]

Rowland's career peaked as Head Designer (1922–1930) of Smith Hinchman & Grylls (SmithGroup). There, he designed a dozen major structures in downtown Detroit; among these, are a number of the city's most accomplished and evocative buildings. To a large extent, Rowland helped define Detroit's architectural genre.[1][3] Of the Guardian building Rowland said, We no longer live in a leisurely age, . . What we see we must see quickly in passing, and the impression must be immediate, strong, and complete. Color has this vital power.[4] For the Guardian Building, he had assembled a multitude of artisans, mosaicists, sculptors, painters, and tile manufacturers including Corrado Parducci, muralist Ezra Winter, and tile from the Rookwood and Pewabic pottery companies.[1] He thus recreated the architectural synthesis of a medieval cathedral. Hence, Rowland had reached a climax, when his Union Trust/Guardian Building became known as the Cathedral of Finance.[5]

The Guardian Building opened in 1930. With the onset of the Great Depression, Rowland was laid off from Smith Hinchman & Grylls so formed his own office where his work decreased to a small number of churches, schools, and construction projects. Late in life, he returned to a purer, Gothic idiom for his last few projects, notably preliminary sketches for the Kirk in the Hills. The church was built after the war to a design by George D. Mason & Co., Rowland having died in 1946. He was a member of the Chandler Park Partnership, a group of nineteen architects and engineers that designed Parkside housing project (1935–38) in Detroit.During World War II, the Guardian Building would serve as headquarters for war time production when Detroit was called, the Arsenal of Democracy.[5]

Designs for Albert Kahn Associates, 1915 to 1922

Designs for Smith Hinchman & Grylls, 1922 to 1930

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Tottis, James W. (2008). The Guardian Building: Cathedral of Finance. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-3385-3.
  2. ^ Sharoff, Robert (2005). American City: Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3270-6.
  3. ^ AIA Detroit Urban Priorities Committee, (January 10, 2006).Top 10 Detroit Interiors.Model D Media. Retrieved on July 28, 2008.
  4. ^ Mazzei, Rebecca (November 30, 2005).Still Standing. Metro Times. Retrieved on July 28, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Zacharias, Pat (March 10, 2001).Guardian Building has long been the crown jewel in the Detroit skyline. Michigan History, Detroit News. Retrieved on June 2, 2008.
  6. ^ "Letter from Wirt C. Rowland to The Harvard Architectural School Alumni Association, dated March 24, 1932". Wirt Rowland - A Short BIography. 2012.

References and further reading

  • Ferry, W. Hawkins (1968). The Buildings of Detroit: A History. Wayne State University Press.
  • Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3.
  • Meyer, Katherine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy with Introduction by W. Hawkins Ferry, Hon A.I.A. (1980). Detroit Architecture A.I.A. Guide Revised Edition. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1651-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Sharoff, Robert (2005). American City: Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-3270-6.
  • Savage, Rebecca Binno and Greg Kowalski (2004). Art Deco in Detroit (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-3228-2.
  • Sobocinski, Melanie Grunow (2005). Detroit and Rome: building on the past. Regents of the University of Michigan. ISBN 0-933691-09-2.
  • Tottis, James W. (2008). The Guardian Building: Cathedral of Finance. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-3385-3.
  • Tutag, Nola Huse with Lucy Hamilton (1988). Discovering Stained Glass in Detroit. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1875-4.

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