Josselyn & Taylor was an architectural firm based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was founded in 1882 as the partnership of architects Henry S. Josselyn and Eugene H. Taylor. They were the first academically trained architects to practice in Iowa.
History
The firm of Josselyn & Taylor was formed in 1882 by architects Henry S. Josselyn and Eugene H. Taylor, who had been classmates at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The firm initially had two offices, in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. Josselyn remained in Cedar Rapids, where he had been practicing since 1881, and Taylor located in Des Moines. In 1885 Jossslyn's father, George Josselyn, joined the firm as chief superintendent, though he was not a partner.[1] In 1886 they gave up the Des Moines office and consolidated the firm in Cedar Rapids.[2]
For about thirty years, Josselyn & Taylor was the leading architectural firm in Cedar Rapids. They designed buildings for Grinnell College and Iowa State University, the Cedar Rapids public library, churches, office buildings, private homes and the Iowa state buildings at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha. They also supervised construction of Brucemore after the original architect was unable to complete the project.[2] George Josselyn died in July 1898,[1] and Taylor died in October 1924 following an accident. Josselyn continued alone until October 1925, when he formed the Josselyn–Todd Company with architect Benjamin H. Todd.[3] Josselyn retired from practice in 1929.[4]
Partner biographies
Henry S. Josselyn
Henry Saville JosselynFAIA (August 15, 1849 – March 1, 1934) was born in Dayton, Ohio, to George Josselyn, a contractor and builder, and Anna Josselyn, née Broadwell.[5] The family lived in Dayton until 1855 and thereafter in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and in Illinois before settling in Independence, Iowa, in 1868. George Josselyn was superintendent of the state hospitals in both Mount Pleasant and Independence.[1] Josselyn worked as a clerk for his father and was educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied as a special student in architecture in 1876–77, though he left after a year of the two-year course. After additional experience in offices in Chicago and Des Moines, and travel in Europe, he established himself as an architect in Independence in partnership with his father. In 1881 he moved to Cedar Rapids, where he managed a branch office of the firm until forming his partnership with Taylor.[5][4]
Josselyn was married to Mae Reitler in 1884. They had three children, two sons and one daughter.[5] In 1886 he joined the Western Association of Architects, which merged with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1889. Like all members of both organizations, Josselyn was made a Fellow.[6] He withdrew from the AIA in 1892 but rejoined as an Iowa chapter member in 1904.[7] He was a long-standing member of the Grace Episcopal Church of Cedar Rapids, the building of which Josselyn & Taylor had expanded. He died in Cedar Rapids at the age of 84.[5]
Eugene H. Taylor
Eugene Hartwell TaylorFAIA (October 23, 1853 – October 29, 1924) was born in Denmark, Iowa, to Hartwell J. Taylor, a farmer, and Harriet Taylor, née Wilson. Taylor was educated in the local public schools before going on to Grinnell College, graduating in 1876. He then entered MIT as a special student in architecture in the same course as Josselyn. Unlike Josselyn he completed the course, in 1878, and thereafter worked for architects in Chicago and elsewhere before forming his partnership with Josselyn.[2]
Taylor was married in 1886 to Mary Woodworth of Berlin, Connecticut. They had two children, both daughters.[2] Taylor was a long-time member and supporter of the AIA. He joined the organization in 1884 and, like Josselyn, became a Fellow in 1889.[8] In 1903 he was a founding member of the Iowa chapter and served as its first president.[9] He thereafter served as chapter secretary and treasurer for nearly twenty years.[10] He was a founder of the Civic Improvement League of Cedar Rapids, sat on the board of the YMCA and was a member of the First Congregational Church of Cedar Rapids. In his later years Taylor was involved with proposals for the improvement of the river front. He died in Cedar Rapids at the age of 71, after an automobile struck the bicycle he was riding.[2][11]
Legacy
Josselyn and Taylor were the first academically trained architects to practice in Iowa. They established their practice in Cedar Rapids at a time when it was expanding rapidly. According to local historian Mark Stoffer Hunter, they "ushered in a new era of architectural design ... [and] created a real sense of urban sophistication for Cedar Rapids. They were really important to the development of the city. Cedar Rapids would not have taken that next step in development without them."[12]
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