Charles C. Crapsey was an American architect known for his church designs. He trained under James K. Wilson from 1865–1873, worked on his on his own between 1873–1888, and then with Wilson again from 1895-1901. He worked with William R. Brown from 1889–1895 and with E. N. Lamm from 1901-1909. His work is distinctive for its creative combinations of shaping, massing, and materials, and Crapsey is known especially for his design of churches. He was born in Fairmount, Ohio and died in Cincinnati.

Crapsey began his career working mainly on the design of residences. He designed the Shingle Style Nathan F. Baker House on Madison Rd. in East Walnut Hills

East Walnut Hills, Cincinnati

East Walnut Hills is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1867, originally as the independent incorporated village of Woodburn, East Walnut Hills is a diverse neighborhood, both ethnically and economically...

 (1883) for the sculptor and relative of Crapsey's mentor James K. Wilson. A print and floor plan of the house appeared in the June 9, 1883 American Architect and Building News. He also designed a "Five-Thousand-Dollar Suburban Home" in the Cincinnati suburb of Hartwell

Hartwell, Cincinnati

Hartwell is a neighborhood in northern Cincinnati, Ohio, centered roughly on the intersections of I-75 and Ronald Regan Cross County Highway. Its boundaries are a combination of Caldwell Park and R R Cross County Highway to the south, I-75 to the east, and a combination of Millsdale Road and...

 in 1886, and some commercial buildings.

Crapsey & Brown specialized in church architecture. Crapsey belonged to the Methodist church and obtained several commissions for their buildings. Brown had already been doing church design before they teamed up. According to the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati, "They were among the first firm to exploit the "Akron Plan", which included Sunday School rooms within the main Church building connected by moveable screens." These "were sought after by many Protestant denominations, not only in Ohio and Kentucky, but as far as a $300,000 Presbyterian Church for Seattle, Washington" which was designed by Crapsey & Lamm in 1906. He and his partners also designed church-related educational buildings including a dormitory for Ohio Wesleyan College

Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...

 (Delaware, Ohio

Delaware, Ohio

The City of Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County in the United States state of Ohio. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area...

) in 1889 and Methodist missionary

Missionary

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

 schools and chapels in China.

Crapsey's obituary

Obituary

An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...

 in the Western Architect & Builder "made a specialty of church architecture, and as much as, perhaps more, than any other architect of the country, developed the institutional church building," and an obituary in The Western Christian Advocate described Crapsey as "an architect by instinct and training." Honorary pallbearers representing the American Institute of ARchitects included James W. McLaughlin

James W. McLaughlin

James W. McLaughlin was a Cincinnati, Ohio architect. He studied to be an architect working under famed James Keys Wilson. He fought in the American Civil War serving in the Union Army. He become a popular builder in Cincinnati during the late 19th century...

, S.S. Godley, and George W. Rapp, "all major Cincinnati architects during the second half of the 19th century". Real pallbearers were selected from members of his Bible class.

A double-page magazine feature of Crapsey & Brown's churches was published in the American Architect & Building News, XXXVIII, 822 November 19, 1892, including examples in Cincinnati and Kenton, Ohio

Kenton, Ohio

Kenton is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Ohio, United States, along the Scioto River. The population was 8,262 at the 2010 census. It is named for Kentucky/Ohio frontiersman, Simon Kenton...

, and Maysville

Maysville, Kentucky

Maysville is a city in and the county seat of Mason County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,993 at the 2000 census, making it the fiftieth largest city in Kentucky by population. Maysville is on the Ohio River, northeast of Lexington. It is the principal city of the Maysville...

, Mayslick, Carlisle

Carlisle, Kentucky

Carlisle is a city in Nicholas County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,917 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Nicholas County...

, Covington

Covington, Kentucky

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...

, and Dayton, Kentucky

Dayton, Kentucky

Dayton is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, along a bend of the Ohio River. The population was 5,966 at the 2000 census. It is less than from downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.-Geography:Dayton is located at ....

. They were also active in Hamilton, Ohio

Hamilton, Ohio

Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....

 and Winchester, Kentucky

Winchester, Kentucky

Winchester is a city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,724 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

 (where Lamm seems to have been a builder, and perhaps designer, early in his career). The spread also included prices such as $27,000 Kenton, Ohio church and $10,000 for the Price Hill Cincinnati

Price Hill, Cincinnati

Price Hill is a neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, located north of Sedamsville and Riverside, south of Westwood and South Fairmount, and west of Queensgate. It is one of the oldest outlying settlements of Cincinnati, and includes parts of the zip codes 45205, 45238, and 45204.-Geography:Price Hill...

 church with "stones to window sills and shingles above".

Crapsey & Brown used a wide variety of materials, often in combination achieving great variety in shape, massing, and effect. Crapsey competed for the design of the Cincinnati Centennial Exposition building (1887; won by H.E. Siter; expo held 1888) and the Cincinnati Armory (won by Samuel Hannaford; 1887).

Projects

Known churches and other commissions in Ohio were located in London

London, Ohio

London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,771, an increase from 7,807 in 1990. It is the...

, Fostoria

Fostoria, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,931 people, 5,565 households, and 3,628 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,917.6 people per square mile . There were 6,024 housing units at an average density of 829.2 per square mile...

, Loveland

Loveland, Ohio

Loveland is a city in Hamilton, Clermont, and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Considered part of the Greater Cincinnati area, Loveland is located near exit 52 off Interstate 275, about northeast of the Cincinnati city limits. It borders Symmes, Miami and...

, Ironton

Ironton, Ohio

Ironton is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Lawrence County. The municipality is located in southern Ohio along the Ohio River. The population was 11,211 at the 2000 census. Ironton is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the...

, Waynesville

Waynesville, Ohio

Waynesville is a village in Wayne Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,558, up from 1,949 in 1990. It is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. The village, located at the crossroads of U.S. Route 42 and State Route 73, is known for its...

, Portsmouth

Portsmouth, Ohio

Portsmouth is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Scioto County. The municipality is located on the northern banks of the Ohio River and east of the Scioto River in Southern Ohio. The population was 20,226 at the 2010 census.-Foundation:...

, Woodstock

Woodstock, Ohio

Woodstock is a village in Champaign County, Ohio, United States. The population was 317 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Woodstock is located at ....

, Xenia

Xenia, Ohio

Xenia is a city in and the county seat of Greene County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio 21 miles from Dayton and is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, Franklin

Franklin, Ohio

Not to be confused with Franklin County, Ohio.Franklin is a city in Warren County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,771 at the 2010 census.-History:...

, Washington Court House

Washington Court House, Ohio

Washington Court House is a city in Fayette County, Ohio, United States. It is the county seat of Fayette County and is located approximately halfway between Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. The population was 14,192 in 2010 at the 2010 census...

, Lima

Lima, Ohio

Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....

, Jackson

Jackson, Ohio

Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,184 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Jackson is located at ....

, Mechanicsburg

Mechanicsburg, Ohio

Mechanicsburg is a village in Champaign County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,744 at the 2000 census.Mechanicsburg laid out in 1814 on the site of the Shawnee Indian Village of Chief Ohito...

, Miamisburg

Miamisburg, Ohio

Miamisburg is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,181 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, Milford

Milford, Ohio

Milford is a city in Clermont and Hamilton counties in the U.S. state of Ohio, along the Little Miami River in the southwestern part of the state. It is a part of Greater Cincinnati. Milford, an abbreviated form of mill ford, was so named because it was the first safe ford across the Little Miami...

, Columbus

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

, Carthage

Carthage, Cincinnati

Carthage is a residential neighborhood located in the Mill Creek valley in Cincinnati, Ohio. Carthage was incorporated in 1861 and then annexed into Cincinnati in 1911. It shares a border with Elmwood Place, Ohio, which, with adjacent St. Bernard, Ohio, forms a city island in the middle of...

 and areas of Cincinnati. In Kentucky his projects included buildings in Henderson

Henderson, Kentucky

Henderson is a city in Henderson County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River in the western part of the state. The population was 27,952 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area often referred to as "Kentuckiana", although "Tri-State Area" or "Tri-State" are more...

, Newport

Newport, Kentucky

Newport is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers. The population was 15,273 at the 2010 census. Historically, it was one of four county seats of Campbell County. Newport is part of the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio Metro Area which...

, Richmond

Richmond, Kentucky

There were 10,795 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.6% were non-families. Of all households, 34.7% were made up of individuals and 8.8% had...

, Mount Sterling

Mount Sterling, Kentucky

The Mt. Sterling-Montgomery County Library was established in 1871. The Mt. Sterling – Montgomery County Library moved to the current location, accessible from both Main and Locust Streets, in July 1984. The building was officially dedicated on September 30, 1984...

, Danville

Danville, Kentucky

Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....

, Augusta

Augusta, Kentucky

Augusta is a city in Bracken County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River. As of the 2005 census, the city population was 2,004. When Bracken County was organized in 1796, Augusta was the county seat...

 and Ludlow

Ludlow, Kentucky

Ludlow is a city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 4,409 at the 2000 census. Ludlow is a suburb of Covington, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio, located on the Ohio River...

.

Indiana

• Methodist Episcopal Church (1895) in Connersville, Indiana
  Connersville, Indiana
  At the 2000 census, there were 15,411 people, 6,382 households and 4,135 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,894.5 per square mile . There were 6,974 housing units at an average density of 857.3 per square mile...
  
   (now First United Methodist)
• Second Presbyterian (1895) in Bloomington, Indiana
  Bloomington, Indiana
  Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
  
  
• Ninth St. Methodist Church (1895) in Lafayette, Indiana
  Lafayette, Indiana
  Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
  
  

Other areas

Crapsey & Lamm designed the Moores Hill College

University of Evansville

The University of Evansville is a small, private university with approximately 3,050 students located in Evansville, Indiana. Founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College, it is located near the interchange of the Lloyd Expressway and U.S. Route 41. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church...

 Administration Building (1907).

Maysville, Kentucky

Maysville, Kentucky

Maysville is a city in and the county seat of Mason County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,993 at the 2000 census, making it the fiftieth largest city in Kentucky by population. Maysville is on the Ohio River, northeast of Lexington. It is the principal city of the Maysville...

 has "a particularly important grouping" of churches, commercial buildings, a Masonic Lodge

Masonic Lodge

This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...

, and residences, "all within a block of each other and still remarkably intact."

According to the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati, the best surviving churches are the First English Lutheran, Race St. and 12th St. opposite Washington Park (1894); Clifton Methodist, SEC Clifton Ave. and Senator Place (1891); and the Price Hill M.E., NWC Phillips and Considine avenues (now the Church of the Nazarene; 1895). Their smaller churches also have charm. They "have a recognizable, distinctive, and "artistic" character; among their late 19th-century contemporaries, they are more individual and even fantastic than Samuel Hannaford

Samuel Hannaford

Samuel Hannaford was an American architect based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Some of the best known landmarks in the city, such as Music Hall and City Hall, were of his design...

 or McLaughlin, although usually less so than (for example) Buddemeyer, Plympton & Trowbridge. The Clifton United Methodist (1892) Church at 3416 Clifton Avenue in Cincinnati is a Richardsonian Romanesque style building by Charles completed in 1892. It includes an Akron plan

Akron Plan

Akron Plan for church buildings was popularized by architectural pattern books in the late 19th and early 20th century. The plan is typified by an auditorium form worship space surrounded by connecting Sunday school classrooms spaces on one or two levels. The plan promotes efficiency of movement...

 and an interior with vaulted timberwork, wooden trusses and LaFarge and Armstrong (John LaFarge

John LaFarge

John La Farge was an American painter, muralist, stained glass window maker, decorator, and writer.-Biography:...

 and Maitland and Helen Armstrong) stained glass window.

Non-church buildings

Among Crapsey & Brown's non-ecclesiastical works were new pavilions for the "pioneering" Cincinnati Base Ball Co. (the "Red Stockings") in the West End (1884)

• Workhouse, Jail, and Police Court in Newport, Kentucky (behind the Court House by A.C. Nash) (1887)
• Westwood Town Hall, a Shingle-Style complex containing a variety of municipal facilities at SWC Harrison and Fairview avenues
• a competition design for the Cincinnati Y.M.C.A. Building (1889) (NWC Seventh and Walnut streets (won by James W. McLaughlin)
• H.C. Carrel, the delineator, submitted his rendering to the 1889 Cincinnati Architectural Club exhibition
• competition entry for the Odd Fellows' Temple
  Odd Fellows Temple
  Odd Fellows Temple may refer to:in Canada*Odd Fellows Temple , Listed as a historic property, located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewanin the United States* Odd Fellows Temple , listed on the NRHP in California...
  
   (1891) delineated by G.W.E. Field, who may have worked for the firm early in his career) (competition won by Samuel Hannaford) formerly NWC Elm and Seventh streets
• the Tippecanoe School (Cincinnati, 1893)
• Parkersburg, West Virginia
  Parkersburg, West Virginia
  As of the census of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 4.4% to 31,755. The population density was 2,800.5 people per square mile . There were 16,100 housing...
  
  , City Hall (1894).
• Crapsey, Carrel and Crapsey presented a Beaux-Arts competition design for a Jubilee Saengerfest Building in 1898
• Crapsey & Lamm designed the Carnegie Library for Peru, Indiana (1902)
• Kendallville Furniture Co. Factory (1907) Peru Indiana
• Monterey Industrial Co. in Mexico. Residential work was also constant.

Crapsey himself was an early member of the Cincinnati Chapter of the AIA, as a junior member in their founding year of 1870, and served as secretary from at least 1874 until 1895. He was also an FAIA

American Institute of Architects

The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...

. W. W. Martin, an advocate of the “Akron Plan,” in his Manual of Ecclesiastical Architecture (Cincinnati: Jennings & Pye, 1897), credits Crapsey with supplying "a valuable collection of photographs and engravings upon Modern Church Architecture."

Crapsey & Brown

• Clifton Methodist Episcopal Church 3418 Clifton Ave. Cincinnati
• First Presbyterian Church/Calvary Temple Evangelical Church
  First Presbyterian Church/Calvary Temple Evangelical Church
  First Presbyterian Church/Calvary Temple Evangelical Church is a historic church at 946 Market Street in Parkersburg, Wood County, West Virginia. It was built in 1894, and is a two-story, brick and stone church building in a combined Romanesque / Gothic Revival style. It features a corner bell...
  
   946 Market St. Parkersburg, West Virginia
  Parkersburg, West Virginia
  As of the census of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 4.4% to 31,755. The population density was 2,800.5 people per square mile . There were 16,100 housing...
  
  
• First United Methodist Church
  First United Methodist Church (London, Ohio)
  First United Methodist Church is a historic congregation of the United Methodist Church in downtown London, Ohio, United States. Founded in London's earliest years, the congregation worships in a historic church building that was built in the 1890s....
  
   52 N. Main St. London, Ohio

Crapsey and Lamm

• Carnegie Hall of Moores Hill College
  University of Evansville
  The University of Evansville is a small, private university with approximately 3,050 students located in Evansville, Indiana. Founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College, it is located near the interchange of the Lloyd Expressway and U.S. Route 41. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church...
  
   14687 Main St. Moores Hill, Indiana
  Moores Hill, Indiana
  Moores Hill is a town in Sparta Township, Dearborn County, Indiana, United States. The population was 597 at the 2010 census.-History:Platted in 1839 by Adam Moore and Andrew Stevens, it originally contained nine lots adjacent to Moore 's gristmill. Many early settlers in the town were Methodist...
  
  

Additional citations

• Langsam (1997), 3, 64-65, 72-73
• Painter and Sullebarger, AIC (2006), 69, 90, 117, 125, 288
• Obituary, Western Architect &Builder, XXVI, 32 (8/12/1909), 1
• Western Christian Advocate (8/4/1909)
• Withey (1956, 1970), 147-48
• Tenkotte and Langsam, 89-96
• Sullebarger (1990)
• Jackson and Gilder (2006), 285, 284
• Nuxhall, SGC, 113, Lot 434