Frederick H. Trimble
Encyclopedia
Frederick H. Trimble was an American
architect
practicing in Central Florida
from the early 1900s through the 1920s, working in the Colonial Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival and Prairie Style.
Frederick Homer Trimble was born on June 2, 1878 and died Aug 13, 1934. His parents were Andrew Hill Trimble and Cynthia Ann Wright. Fred was one of their thirteen children: ten boys and three girls.
Frederick Homer Trimble graduated from Morningside College
in Sioux City, Iowa
, and was appointed by the Methodist Church to serve as the first industrial missionary to Foochow, China
in 1905, putting to use his schooling in architecture and civil engineering. While on furlough, he married Rena Nellie Bowker, who then also went to China as a missionary, in 1906. While in China, Trimble served as superintendent of construction of Hwa Nan College, the Woman's College of South China.
environment, presented in buildings of his design during the mid-1910s (see for example his suavely mature Farmer’s Bank in Vero Beach of 1914), anticipated the national surge in popularity of this style that would come following the exposure it received at the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego of 1915.
Trimble was noted for his design of school buildings; starting with the Fellsmere School (1915) he designed more than 50 schools in Florida. In 1918-1919, Trimble employed Ida Annah Ryan
as designing architect in his firm.
Trimble's was one of only ten architectural firms listed in the Orlando phone directory in 1926, the others being: Frank L. Bodine
, Fred E. Field
, David Hyer
, Murry S. King
, George E. Krug
, Howard M. Reynolds
, Ryan and Roberts (Ida Annah Ryan
and Isabel Roberts
) and Percy P. Turner
.
This group of architects was quite intentional about creating in Central Florida a style of architecture that was suited to the region. Here is how they described it in an article from The Florida Circle of May 1924:
"Just as architects of old created styles to harmonize with their environment, so have the architects of Florida been creating, from native motifs, a style that is carefully adapted to the climatic conditions and surroundings of the state. This style has an individuality all its own and should have a fitting name to express its origins . . . The Florida Association of Architects will give a prize of $25.00 for the name selected."
This contest was to conclude in November 1924 and the winning name announced thereafter.
in Lakeland
, based upon Thomas Jefferson
's campus plan for the University of Virginia
. Frank Lloyd Wright
’s later design for the campus was influenced by Trimble’s concepts, especially the domed central feature which Wright translated into a water dome, finally made operational in 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
practicing in Central Florida
Central Florida
Central Florida is a regional designation for the area surrounding Orlando in east central Florida, United States. The area represents the third largest population concentration in Florida, after the South Florida and Tampa Bay regions, respectively....
from the early 1900s through the 1920s, working in the Colonial Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival and Prairie Style.
Frederick Homer Trimble was born on June 2, 1878 and died Aug 13, 1934. His parents were Andrew Hill Trimble and Cynthia Ann Wright. Fred was one of their thirteen children: ten boys and three girls.
Frederick Homer Trimble graduated from Morningside College
Morningside College
Morningside College is a private, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church located in Sioux City, Iowa. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside College is a private, four-year, co-educational liberal arts institution. Morningside has 21 buildings on a ...
in Sioux City, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, and was appointed by the Methodist Church to serve as the first industrial missionary to Foochow, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in 1905, putting to use his schooling in architecture and civil engineering. While on furlough, he married Rena Nellie Bowker, who then also went to China as a missionary, in 1906. While in China, Trimble served as superintendent of construction of Hwa Nan College, the Woman's College of South China.
Spanish Colonial Revival
Trimble began his architectural career in the United States in Fellsmere, Florida. His pioneering use of the Spanish Colonial Revival style so suitable for the FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
environment, presented in buildings of his design during the mid-1910s (see for example his suavely mature Farmer’s Bank in Vero Beach of 1914), anticipated the national surge in popularity of this style that would come following the exposure it received at the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego of 1915.
Trimble was noted for his design of school buildings; starting with the Fellsmere School (1915) he designed more than 50 schools in Florida. In 1918-1919, Trimble employed Ida Annah Ryan
Ida Annah Ryan
Ida Annah Ryan was a pioneering United States woman architect. She was born on November 4, 1873 at Waltham, MA, one of five children of Albert Morse Ryan and Carrie S. Jameson. Albert Morse Ryan was a Waltham city employee and historian who also ran a milk business. She graduated from the Waltham...
as designing architect in his firm.
Trimble's was one of only ten architectural firms listed in the Orlando phone directory in 1926, the others being: Frank L. Bodine
Frank L. Bodine
Frank Lee Bodine was an American architect who practiced in Asbury Park, New Jersey and in Orlando, Florida in the first four decades of the twentieth century....
, Fred E. Field
Fred E. Field
Frederick E. Field was an American architect who practiced in Providence, Rhode Island, and Orlando, Florida, in the period between 1883 and 1927.Frederick E Field was born November 7, 1861. His professional training took place at Cornell University...
, David Hyer
David Hyer
David Burns Hyer was an American architect who practiced in Charleston, South Carolina and Orlando, Florida during the first half of the twentieth century, designing civic buildings in the Neoclassical Revival and Mediterranean Revival styles.-Biography:...
, Murry S. King
Murry S. King
Murry S. King was Florida's first registered architect, a noted American architect with a successful practice in Orlando, Florida, in the 1910s and 1920s....
, George E. Krug
George E. Krug
George Edward Krug was an American architect who practiced in Greater New York City , Sao Paulo, Brazil and Orlando, Florida....
, Howard M. Reynolds
Howard M. Reynolds
Howard Montalbert Reynolds, Sr. was an American architect practicing in Orlando, Florida in the 1920s. He designed gracefully proportioned, notable public buildings in the prevailing fashionable styles of the 1920s, including Mediterranean Revival, Colonial Revival, Spanish Colonial, Egyptian...
, Ryan and Roberts (Ida Annah Ryan
Ida Annah Ryan
Ida Annah Ryan was a pioneering United States woman architect. She was born on November 4, 1873 at Waltham, MA, one of five children of Albert Morse Ryan and Carrie S. Jameson. Albert Morse Ryan was a Waltham city employee and historian who also ran a milk business. She graduated from the Waltham...
and Isabel Roberts
Isabel Roberts
Isabel Roberts was a Prairie School figure, member of the architectural design team in the Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright and partner with Ida Annah Ryan in the Orlando, Florida architecture firm, “Ryan and Roberts”. It is fair to say that Roberts is an under-appreciated member of Wright’s...
) and Percy P. Turner
Percy P. Turner
Percy Pamorrow Turner was an American architect who, in the 1920s-1950s practiced in Baltimore Maryland, Houston, Texas, Orlando, Florida and Miami, Florida.-Early years:...
.
This group of architects was quite intentional about creating in Central Florida a style of architecture that was suited to the region. Here is how they described it in an article from The Florida Circle of May 1924:
"Just as architects of old created styles to harmonize with their environment, so have the architects of Florida been creating, from native motifs, a style that is carefully adapted to the climatic conditions and surroundings of the state. This style has an individuality all its own and should have a fitting name to express its origins . . . The Florida Association of Architects will give a prize of $25.00 for the name selected."
This contest was to conclude in November 1924 and the winning name announced thereafter.
Florida Southern College
In the mid-1920s, Trimble created a master plan for the campus of Florida Southern CollegeFlorida Southern College
Florida Southern College is a private college located in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It was selected by U.S...
in Lakeland
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
, based upon Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
's campus plan for the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
’s later design for the campus was influenced by Trimble’s concepts, especially the domed central feature which Wright translated into a water dome, finally made operational in 2008.
Florida
- “Meadow Marsh” Luther F. Tilden HouseLuther F. Tilden HouseThe Luther F. Tilden House is a historic home in Winter Garden, Florida, United States. It is located at 940 Tildenville School Road. On November 15, 1996, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places....
, 940 Tildenville School Road, Winter GardenWinter Garden, FloridaWinter Garden is a city located west of downtown Orlando in western Orange County, Florida. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Garden's population is currently over 30,000.-Geography:...
– 1900 (renovations and additions to the 1877 house) – Classical Revival – added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 - Farmer's Bank (Vero Furniture), Osceola Boulevard and Seminole Avenue, Vero Beach – 1914 – Spanish Colonial Revival
- Fellsmere Public SchoolFellsmere Public SchoolThe Fellsmere Public School is a historic school in Fellsmere, Florida. It is located at 22 South Orange Street. On November 22, 1996, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.-References and external links:* at * ** **...
, 22 South Orange Street, Fellsmere – 1915-16 – Prairie Style - Delaney Elementary School (now William Beardall Senior Center), Delaney and Gore Streets, OrlandoOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
– 1920 - Carey Hand Funeral Home, 36 West Pine Street, OrlandoOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
– 1920 – Romano-Tuscan style - Montverde AcademyMontverde Academy-Athletic Programs:...
, Montverde - before 1923 - Okeechobee High SchoolOkeechobee High SchoolOkeechobee High School is a public high school for grades 10–12 in Okeechobee County, Florida. As of 2007 its enrollment is around 1,645.The school belongs to the Okeechobee County School District.- 2006 "Gay-Straight Alliance" lawsuit :...
, Okeechobee - before 1923 - Lake Worth High SchoolLake Worth Community High SchoolLake Worth Community High School is a high school located in Lake Worth, Florida. Established in 1922 as Lake Worth High School, it is currently one of Palm Beach County's largest schools...
, Lake Worth - before 1923 - Stuart High School, Stuart - before 1923
- St. Joseph Catholic School of Orlando - before 1923
- Orlando High School - 1921
- Ocoee High SchoolOcoee High SchoolOcoee High School is a public secondary school located in Ocoee, Florida, 12.5 miles west of Orlando. Since 2005 Ocoee High School has served students from the cities of Ocoee, Apopka, Winter Garden, and Pine Hills. Ocoee High School is currently serving 2,479 students.-Mascot:The Ocoee High...
- 1921 - West Coast High School (Gulf High SchoolGulf High School (Florida)Gulf High School is a four-year public high school in New Port Richey, Florida. It is part of the Pasco County School System in Pasco County, Florida. It is the first high school in western Pasco County and the second school in Pasco County to offer the International Baccalaureate Program, the...
), New Port Richey – 1922 – Prairie Style - School, Sanford - 1922
- Old Lake County CourthouseOld Lake County Courthouse (Florida)The Old Lake County Courthouse is a historic courthouse in Tavares, Florida, located at 315 West Main Street. On September 25, 1998, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places....
, TavaresTavares-People:Tavares is a common surname in the Portuguese language, namely in Portugal and Brazil and other places – especially very common in the Cape Verde islands. It was originally a toponym...
(with Alan J. MacDonough) - 1923 - Royal Park Inn, Royal Park Subdivision, Vero Beach – 1924 – Spanish Colonial Revival
- Florida Theatre (now Vero TheatreVero TheatreThe Vero Theatre is a historic theater in Vero Beach, Florida. Located at 2036 14th Avenue, the Vero Theatre was designed in the Mediterranean Revival style by architect F.H. Trimble. It opened on October 14, 1924 as the city's first mostion picture theater with its first feature film being the...
), 2036 14th Avenue, Vero Beach – 1924 – Mediterranean Revival – added to the National Historic Register in 1992 - Orange Apartments, 1426 Nineteenth Place, Vero Beach - c. 1925 – Spanish Colonial Revival
- Joseph-Reynolds Hall, Florida Southern CollegeFlorida Southern CollegeFlorida Southern College is a private college located in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It was selected by U.S...
, Lakeland - Florida Southern College, Campus Master Plan, Lakeland - 1925
- Blackstone Hotel (later Fort Gatlin Hotel) (demolished), 545 North Orange Avenue, Orlando – 1926 – Spanish Colonial Style
- Sebring High School and Auditorium, Sebring - circa 1928
Illinois
- Methodist Hospital of Central IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, PeoriaPeoria, IllinoisPeoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
(consulting architect)- 1917