Harrison Albright - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Harrison Albright was an American 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...

best known for his innovative design of the West Baden Springs Hotel

West Baden Springs Hotel

The West Baden Springs Hotel is a historic landmark hotel in the town of West Baden Springs in Orange County, Indiana, United States, known for its vast domed atrium. It is currently part of the French Lick Resort...

in Orange County, Indiana

Orange County, Indiana

As of the census of 2000, there were 19,306 people, 7,621 households, and 5,342 families residing in the county. The population density was 48 people per square mile . There were 8,348 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...

, which boasted the largest free-spanning dome in the world at the time of its construction.

Biography

Born in the Ogontz neighborhood of North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Albright was educated in the local public schools and at the Peirce College of Business

Peirce College

Peirce College is an educational institution of higher learning located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which offers programs for career-oriented, non-traditional college students.- History :...

and Spring Garden Institute in Philadelphia. In 1886 he began his architecture business designing residential and public projects in Philadelphia.

He moved to Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...

in 1891 and was architect for the State of West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

in addition to designing residential projects. As State architect he designed an annex to the State Capitol, a state asylum at Huntington, West Virginia

Huntington, West Virginia

Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...

, the Miners' Hospital in Fairmont, West Virginia

Fairmont, West Virginia

Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Nicknamed "The Friendly City". The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census...

and buildings at Shepherd University

Shepherd University

Shepherd University, formerly Shepherd College, is a state-funded university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, United States. The University currently serves more than 4,200 students.- Accreditation :...

and the Preparatory Branch of West Virginia University at Keyser

Potomac State College of West Virginia University

Potomac State College of West Virginia University is a two-year junior college affiliated as a division of West Virginia University. West Virginia's only residential junior college, it is located in Keyser, approximately away from WVU's main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States...

.

In 1901, he was hired by 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...

hotelier Lee Wiley Sinclair to design the landmark West Baden Springs Hotel

West Baden Springs Hotel

which included the 200 feet (61 m) steel and glass dome which would be the largest free-spanning dome in the world until 1913 and the largest in America until the construction of the Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...

in 1955.

In 1905, he moved his architectural practice to California, working in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

and San Diego

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

, as early proponent of reinforced concrete construction. Albright's 1905 Annex to the Homer Laughlin Building

Homer Laughlin Building

The Homer Laughlin Building, at 317 South Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, is a landmark building best known for its ground floor tenant, the Grand Central Market, the City's largest and oldest open air market....

on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles was the city's first reinforced concrete

Reinforced concrete

Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...

building.

John L. Wright, son of 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...

was employed in the Albright firm.

He retired from architecture for health reasons in 1925 and died in 1933.

Works

Albright's designs include:

One Bridge Place, Charleston, West Virginia, 1898
Upshur County Courthouse, Buckhannon, West Virginia
Buckhannon, West Virginia
Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States, and is located along the Buckhannon River. The population was 5,725 at the 2000 census. Buckhannon is home to West Virginia Wesleyan College and the West Virginia Strawberry Festival,...

, 1901
West Baden Springs Hotel
West Baden Springs Hotel
The West Baden Springs Hotel is a historic landmark hotel in the town of West Baden Springs in Orange County, Indiana, United States, known for its vast domed atrium. It is currently part of the French Lick Resort...

, 1902
Hotel Richmond
Hotel Richmond
Once a leading hotel in downtown Richmond, Virginia, the Hotel Richmond overlooks the Thomas Jefferson designed State Capitol in Capitol Square...

, Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

, 1904
expansion of Homer Laughlin Building
Homer Laughlin Building
The Homer Laughlin Building, at 317 South Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, is a landmark building best known for its ground floor tenant, the Grand Central Market, the City's largest and oldest open air market....

Annex/Lyon Building, Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

, 1905
Santa Fe Freight Depot
Santa Fe Freight Depot
Santa Fe Freight Depot is a quarter-mile-long building in the industrial area to the east of Downtown Los Angeles, now known as the Arts District. The Southern California Institute of Architecture converted the structure into its campus in 2000...

, Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

(now home to the Southern California Institute of Architecture
Southern California Institute of Architecture
The Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles , California, is an independent, nonprofit school offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture. It offers community design and outreach programs, and free public access to frequent exhibitions and lectures by leading...

), 1907
Coronado Library, Coronado, California, 1909
U. S. Grant Hotel
U. S. Grant Hotel
The U.S. Grant Hotel is a historic hotel in downtown San Diego, California. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is 11 stories high and has 270 guest rooms in addition to meeting rooms and a ballroom.-History:...

, San Diego, California, 1910
Eli P. Clark Hotel, Los Angeles, 1912
Spreckels Theater Building, San Diego, California
Spreckels Theater Building, San Diego, California
The Spreckels Theater Building was built in San Diego, California in 1912. It was touted as "the first modern commercial playhouse west of the Mississippi". It has been in continuous operation since its opening, with a few brief intervals for refurbishing....

, 1912
Golden West Hotel, San Diego, 1913
Spreckels Organ Pavilion, San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

, 1915
Bank of Coronado Building, Coronado, California, 1917
Adams School, Maricopa, Arizona
Maricopa, Arizona
-Surrounding Municipalities:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 43,482 people, 14,359 households, and 11,110 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,356.8 people per square mile . There were 17,240 housing units at an average density of 540.4 per square mile...
Spreckles Mansion, Coronado, California
Coronado, California
Coronado, also known as Coronado Island, is an affluent resort city located in San Diego County, California, 5.2 miles from downtown San Diego. Its population was 24,697 at the 2010 census, up from 24,100 at the 2000 census. U.S. News and World Report lists Coronado as one of the most expensive...
Waldo Hotel, Clarksburg, West Virginia
Clarksburg, West Virginia
Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area...
Power Plant (now Senior Services Center), Columbus, Indiana
Columbus, Indiana
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 44,061 at the 2010 census, and the current mayor is Fred Armstrong. Located approximately 40 miles south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River, it is the state's 20th largest...

External links

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