George Caleb Wright, AIA

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...

, (1889–1973) was an American architect active from in early to mid-twentieth-century Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

. He was a partner in the locally renowned Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

 architectural firms of Pierre & Wright

Pierre & Wright

Pierre and Wright was a locally renowned Indianapolis, Indiana architectural firm, established in 1925 by partners Edward D. Pierre, AIA and George Caleb Wright, AIA,...

, Vonnegut, Wright & Yeager

Vonnegut, Wright & Yeager

Vonnegut, Wright & Yeager was an architectural firm active in mid-twentieth-century Indiana. The firm was organized in 1946 as a partnership between the surviving partners of three Indiana firms: Kurt Vonnegut Sr...

 (formed 1946), and Wright, Porteous & Lowe, and was later chief building inspector for the City of Indianapolis.

Early life and education

Wright was born April 25, 1889 in Libertyville, Illinois

Libertyville, Illinois

Libertyville is an affluent northern suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It is located west of Lake Michigan on the Des Plaines River. The 2000 census population was 20,742; the 2005 estimate was 21,760...

, where he attended his education until the high school level. He then attended the University of Illinois from 1908–1912, earning a degree in architecture and engineering, class of 1912.

Early career

He worked for the International Harvester Company from 1912–1915, George C. Nimmons & Co. from 1915–1923, Herbert Foltz from 1923-1925 until he formed Pierre & Wright. In addition he was a construction supervisor during World War I for the army.

Pierre & Wright (1925-1944)

Pierre & Wright, formed 1925, was responsible for many landmarks in Indianapolis and greater Indiana, and a number have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

.
The Pierre & Wright Architectural Records Collection is located at Ball State University Libraries' Drawings + Documents Archive, Muncie, Ind.

Vonnegut, Wright & Yeager

In 1946, Wright formed a new firm with Kurt Vonnegut, Sr., called Vonnegut & Wright. After Yeager joined the firm it became Vonnegut, Wright and Yeager, then Wright, Porteous & Lowe, and then Wright, Porteous & Lowe/Bonar.

Wright, Porteous & Lowe

Following Kurt Vonnegut Sr.'s death in 1957, he left Vonnegut, Wright & Yeager and was senior partner in the firm Wright, Porteous & Lowe. His son, William Caleb Wright, was also a partner in that firm. From 1963 to 1969, he was chief building inspector for the City of Indianapolis.

Professional organizations

He was a registered architect in Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and president of the Indiana Society of Architects and the Indiana Chapter of the AIA. In addition, he was a member of the board of the Indianapolis Construction League, Vice-Chairmen of the Policy Committee, Indiana Construction Industry, member of the Mayor's Special Committee on Housing, etc.

Works by Pierre & Wright Architects

• Indiana State Library and Historical Building
  Indiana State Library and Historical Building
  The Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau is a public library building, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the largest public library in the state of Indiana housing over 60,000 manuscripts...
  
  , Indianapolis, Indiana
  Indianapolis, Indiana
  Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
  
  
• Milo Stuart Memorial Building, Arsenal Technical High School
  Arsenal Technical High School
  Arsenal Technical High School is a public high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States which is run by the Indianapolis Public Schools school system. Established in 1912, the school consists of a , multiple building campus east of downtown Indianapolis and is the only such type school in...
  
  (Indianapolis, Indiana)