Donaldson and Meier
Encyclopedia
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. Founded in 1880 by John Donaldson (1854–1941) and Henry J. Meier (1858–1917) the firm produced a large and varied number of commissions in Detroit and southeastern Michigan. Donaldson, the principal designer of the partnership from a design point of view was born in Stirling, Scotland and immigrated to Detroit at a young age. He returned to Europe where he studied at the Art Academy in Munich, Germany, and at the École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
in Paris, France.
The early designs from the firm, such as the Unitarian Church in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, were frequently in the Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
style but as with many other architectural companies whose longevity outlast the style of the day, their output changed with the times. Their last buildings, such as the David Stott Building
David Stott Building
The David Stott Building is an Art Deco skyscraper in downtown Detroit, Michigan designed by the architectural firm of Donaldson and Meier. It is a class-A office building constructed in 1929 at the corner of Griswold Street and State Street , a part of the Capitol Park Historic District...
, were in the art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
genre.
Like most of the prominent architects in Detroit during the 1920s and 1930s, Donaldson and Meier employed sculptor
Architectural sculpture
Architectural sculpture is the term for the use of sculpture by an architect and/or sculptor in the design of a building, bridge, mausoleum or other such project...
Lee Lawrie
Lee Lawrie
Lee Oscar Lawrie was one of the United States' foremost architectural sculptors and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II...
to produce a panel for Beaumont Tower
Beaumont Tower
Beaumont Tower , designed by the architectural firm of Donaldson and Meier, is a structure on the campus of Michigan State University. The tower marks the site of College Hall, the first building in America erected for instruction in scientific agriculture.During its dedication ceremony the...
and used Corrado Parducci
Corrado Parducci
Corrado Giuseppe Parducci was an Italian-American architectural sculptor who was a celebrated artist for his numerous early 20th Century works.-Early life and education:...
to create sculpture for many of their other buildings.
Selected commissions
- Unless otherwise noted, buildings are in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
- Campbell Symington House, (ca. 1880)
- First Unitarian Church, (1882), Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
- Alpha Delta PhiAlpha Delta PhiAlpha Delta Phi is a Greek-letter social college fraternity and the fourth-oldest continuous Greek-letter fraternity in the United States and Canada. Alpha Delta Phi was founded on October 29, 1832 by Samuel Eells at Hamilton College and includes former U.S. Presidents, Chief Justices of the U.S....
"Stone House", (1883), Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010... - First Unitarian Church of DetroitFirst Unitarian Church of DetroitThe First Unitarian Church of Detroit is located at 2870 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.- History :...
, (1890) - St. Elizabeth Church, (1892)
- St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, (1892)
- St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Pontiac, MichiganPontiac, MichiganPontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
(1895) - Julius T. Melchers HouseJulius Theodore MelchersJulius Theodore Melchers was a German born American sculptor and teacher who immigrated to the United States leaving Prussia after 1848 and resided in Detroit, Michigan after 1855 . During the Gilded Age, he became a "sculptor of great renown in the Detroit area." The Julius T...
(1897), 723 Seyburn, Indian Village Historic District. - Union Trust Building, (ca. 1897)
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church (n.d.)
- Most Holy Redeemer Church (1901)
- Woodward Arcade Building, (1901)
- Parke-Davis Research LaboratoryParke-Davis Research LaboratoryThe Roberts Riverwalk Hotel and Residence Detroit, formerly the Parke-Davis Research Laboratory also once known as Building 55-Detroit Research, is located on Joseph Campau Street at the Detroit River, in Detroit, Michigan. The former research facility was redeveloped as a boutique luxury hotel...
- St. Anthony Church, (1902)
- Penobscot BuildingPenobscot BuildingThe Greater Penobscot Building, commonly known as the Penobscot Building, is a skyscraper and class-A office building in downtown Detroit, Michigan. Rising 566 feet , the 47-story Penobscot was the tallest building in Michigan from its completion in 1928 until the construction of the Renaissance...
, (1905) and (1916) - Annunciation Church/Our Lady of Sorrows Church, (ca. 1906)
- YMCA Building, (1907)
- Dental Building, (1909), University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
- Alumni Hall (University of Michigan Art Museum), (1910), Ann Arbor, Michigan
- People's State Savings Bank additionSavoyard CentreSavoyard Centre , also known as State Savings Bank, is an office building at 151 Fort Street in Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1981 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Another historic marker erected November 13, 1964, also...
(1914) - St. David School and Convent (ca. 1920s)
- Holy Redeemer Church, (1921)
- St. Anne Catholic Church (Martyrs of Uganda), (1921)
- Sacred Heart Seminary, (1923)
- Chancery Building, (1924)
- The Bird House, (1926), Detroit Zoological Park, Royal Oak, MichiganRoyal Oak, MichiganRoyal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....
- Chapel of St. Theresa-the Little FlowerChapel of St. Theresa-the Little FlowerThe Chapel of St. Theresa-the Little Flower is a church located at 58 Parsons Street in Detroit, Michigan. It is currently known as St. Patrick Church. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.- History :...
(1926) - Beaumont TowerBeaumont TowerBeaumont Tower , designed by the architectural firm of Donaldson and Meier, is a structure on the campus of Michigan State University. The tower marks the site of College Hall, the first building in America erected for instruction in scientific agriculture.During its dedication ceremony the...
(1928), East Lansing, MichiganEast Lansing, MichiganEast Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from... - David Stott BuildingDavid Stott BuildingThe David Stott Building is an Art Deco skyscraper in downtown Detroit, Michigan designed by the architectural firm of Donaldson and Meier. It is a class-A office building constructed in 1929 at the corner of Griswold Street and State Street , a part of the Capitol Park Historic District...
, (1929) - St. Aloysius Church, (1930)
- St. Anthony Church, Detroit, MichiganDetroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
Sources
- Doyle, Right Reverend John M., Saint Aloysius Church: The Old and the New, Centennial Publishing Company, Detroit 1930
- Eckert, Kathryn Bishop, Buildings of Michigan, Oxford University Press, New York 1993
- Ferry, W. Hawkins, The Buildings of Detroit: A History, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan, 1968
- Hill, Eric J. and John Gallagher (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press.
- Meyer, Katharine Mattingly and Martin C.P. McElroy, Detroit Architecture: A.I.A. Guide, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 1980
- Reade, Marjorie and Susan Wineburg, Historic Buildings: Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ann Arbor Historical Foundation, 1992
- Savage, Rebecca Binno and Greg Kowalski, Art Deco in Detroit (Images of America), Arcadia Publishing, 2004
- Sharoff, Robert, American City: Detroit Architecture 1845-2005, Wayne State University Press, 2005.
External links
- http://detroit1701.org/CampbellSymington.html
- http://detroit1701.org/Annunciation%20Church.html
- Donaldson and Meier on Arborwiki