Howard Van Doren Shaw
Encyclopedia
Howard Van Doren Shaw was an American
architect
. He became one of the best-known architects of his generation in the Chicago
area.
, Illinois
on May 7, 1869. His father Theodore was a successful dry goods businessman and was part of the planning committee for the World's Columbian Exposition
. His mother Sarah (née Van Doren) was a prolific painter and a member of the Bohemian Club
. Howard had one brother, Theodore, Jr. His family resided at 2124 Calumet Avenue, then a part of the Prairie Avenue
district, the heart of the social fabric of the city. Prairie Avenue was also the site of Chicago's most modern residential architecture, including Henry Hobson Richardson
's John J. Glessner House
. Howard Shaw met Frances Wells, his future wife, in the district's Bounique's dancing school. Wells was also descended from a family that worked in dry goods
Shaw studied at the Harvard School for Boys in Hyde Park Township
. He was accepted to Yale University
, graduating with a bachelor of arts in 1890. While at Yale, Shaw was the lead editor of The Yale Record
, a humor magazine. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) later that year. MIT was one of the few architectural schools in the country at that time, closely following the rules set forth by the École des Beaux-Arts
. Shaw completed the two-year program in one year. Shaw would use the elements of Georgian, Tudor, and neoclassical
design he learned from MIT in most of his later works.
After returning to Chicago in June 1891, he joined the Jenney & Mundie firm. William Le Baron Jenney
was emerging as an innovating designer, creating the first skyscraper
s. His firm was already gaining a reputation as a training ground for new architects, such as Daniel Burnham
and Louis Sullivan
. Shaw worked directly with emerging architects James Gamble Rogers
, Alfred Hoyt Granger
, and D. Everett Waid. Shaw received his first commission from his wife's parents, who desired a new house in Lakeville
, Connecticut
.
After the completion of the Wells house, he traveled to Europe to study the endemic architecture. He visited Spain
, southern France
, Italy
, Austria-Hungary
, Germany
, and England
. Shaw spent two months in England before returning to Chicago. He rejoined Jenney & Mundie in early 1893, and on April 20, he married Francis Wells. Chicago architecture was receiving new recognition thanks to the success of the "White City" at the World's Columbian Exposition. Shaw worked on one last commission for the firm, the Snitzler house, in 1894.
In 1894, Shaw established his own practice while finishing his work for Jenney & Mundie in his father's attic on Calumet Avenue. His first solo commissions were for his father, who wanted one house for his daughter and son-in-law, and another for the newlywed Shaws. These two adjacent houses featured a combination of Queen Anne, Tudor, and Romanesque
styles. The incorporation of Indiana Limestone
set these houses apart from their neighbors. Shaw soon received five other requests for buildings in the Hyde Park
neighborhood. Hyde Park, recently annexed by Chicago, was the fastest-growing neighborhood, thanks to the recently-opened University of Chicago
. Shaw received the commissions from individuals who were familiar with his father and family.
Howard Van Doren Shaw's first major commission was for Richard R. Donnelly, cofounder of Lakeside Press. Donnelly's son Thomas was a classmate of Howard's at Yale and admired his architecture. Shaw agreed to design a new printing plant for the company in 1897. Lakeside Press published high-quality works, so it was necessary to reflect this in the building's design. Most printing press buildings of the age built from wooden to support the machines. However, Shaw decided to use a more fireproof design, with concrete floors and reinforcement columns. The building was a great success for Lakeside Press, and Shaw later received several more commissions from Donnelly, including a 1902 addition to this building. As Shaw's business grew, he moved his offices into the Montauk Building
.
In 1897, Shaw bought a one-third share of a 53 acres (21.4 ha) farm on Green Bay Road in Lake Forest
. Lake Forest had been a rural community to the north of Chicago, but was recently becoming a retreat site for the wealthy following the completion of the Onwentsia Club
in 1895. Shaw built a house for his family on the farm, and built houses for Dr. William E. Castleberry and Dr. Nathan Smith Davis, the other two owners of the property. These houses exhibited Shaw's first forays into the Arts and Crafts Movement
. Shaw's house, Ragdale
, is today considered one of the best examples of Arts ans Crafts architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Shaw became interested in the movement after holding a joint exhibition for Chicago architecture and Arts and Crafts designers at the Art Institute of Chicago
. Although the movement is characterized by designs from all over the world, Shaw focused on American and English styles. Shaw would meet with other Arts and Crafts architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright
, in a lunch group known as The Eighteen, an early version of the Prairie School
. However, Shaw grew alienated from the Prairie School as he was a firm believer in the value of the old European architecture eschewed by the other architects.
. As housing desirability for the wealthy waned in Hyde Park, it grew in the Gold Coast
, and Shaw quickly became the prominent architect in this neighborhood.
Shaw received another major commission in 1906, this time in the Chicago Loop
. The sixteen-story Mentor Building was designed in the Chicago style
, but also retained neoclassical elements. Unlike other buildings in the style, the Mentor buildings have clear base, middle, and top sections, reminiscent of European tradition. The building still stands today and is part of the Loop Retail Historic District
. In 1910, he designed an eight-story apartment building in the Gold Coast that would become the first cooperatively owned
apartment building in Chicago. In 1910, Shaw moved his offices into the Mentor Building. Shortly thereafter, one of his top students, David Adler
, left the firm to start his own practice.
Although Lake Forest had become a magnet for the wealthy, the local commercial district was unkempt. The city sought to relieve this problem in 1912 by creating a "shopping center" where several businesses could operate out of one parcel of land. Shaw was asked to design this center, and in 1915, he designed a U-shaped mall surrounding parking spaces and a central courtyard. Shaw collaborated with Edward H. Bennett
on the design, a local architect that rose to prominence after co-authoring the Burnham Plan
for Chicago. Shaw's design was inspired by a trip he made through Europe in 1913. Market Square
became the first planned shopping center in the United States.
City planning became an important topic for architects following the completion of the Pullman District
in the 1880s. Shaw made a foray into city planning with the construction of Marktown, Indiana for industrialist Clayton Mark, founder of Mark Manufacturing Company. Mark recently built a steel mill on the Indiana coast and wanted a company town to support it. Shaw designed the village and construction began in 1916. However, only a small portion of it was ever built, preserved today as the Marktown Historic District.
In 1921, Shaw was again contracted by R. R. Donnelley to built a printing plant, this time in Crawfordsville, Indiana
. Donnelley would later commission a second Lakeside Press Building
. Shaw also began to develop apartment buildings for the Gold Coast at this time. Shaw was a trustee at the Art Institute of Chicago
and was asked to build several additions, including the central courtyard. He designed two fraternity houses for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
and one at the University of Chicago
.
In 1906, he became a member of the American Institute of Architects
and was made a Fellow the following year. He was awarded its AIA Gold Medal
shortly before his death in 1926. He is buried in Graceland Cemetery
. Howard Shaw's students David Adler, R. Harold Zook, Harry W.J. Edbrooke
, and Edward H. Bennett became notable architects in their own right. Shaw's daughter Sylvia
became a notable sculptor.
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...
. He became one of the best-known architects of his generation in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area.
Early life and career
Howard Van Doren Shaw was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois 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,...
on May 7, 1869. His father Theodore was a successful dry goods businessman and was part of the planning committee for the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
. His mother Sarah (née Van Doren) was a prolific painter and a member of the Bohemian Club
Bohemian Club
The Bohemian Club is a private men's club in San Francisco, California, United States.Its clubhouse is located at 624 Taylor Street in San Francisco...
. Howard had one brother, Theodore, Jr. His family resided at 2124 Calumet Avenue, then a part of the Prairie Avenue
Prairie Avenue
Prairie Avenue is a north–south thoroughfare on the South Side of Chicago, which historically extended from 16th Street in the Near South Side community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States, to the city's southern limits and beyond. The street has a rich history from its origins...
district, the heart of the social fabric of the city. Prairie Avenue was also the site of Chicago's most modern residential architecture, including Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
's John J. Glessner House
John J. Glessner House
The John J. Glessner House, operated as the Glessner House Museum, is an important 19th-century residence located at 1800 S. Prairie Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. It was designed in 1885-1886 by architect Henry Hobson Richardson and completed in late 1887. The property was designated a Chicago...
. Howard Shaw met Frances Wells, his future wife, in the district's Bounique's dancing school. Wells was also descended from a family that worked in dry goods
Shaw studied at the Harvard School for Boys in Hyde Park Township
Hyde Park Township, Cook County, Illinois
Hyde Park Township is a former civil township in Cook County, Illinois, United States that existed as a separate municipality from 1861 until 1889 when it was annexed into the city of Chicago...
. He was accepted to Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, graduating with a bachelor of arts in 1890. While at Yale, Shaw was the lead editor of The Yale Record
The Yale Record
The Yale Record is the campus humor magazine of Yale University. Founded in 1872, it is the oldest college humor magazine in America.-History:The Record began as a weekly newspaper, with its first issue appearing on September 11, 1872...
, a humor magazine. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT) later that year. MIT was one of the few architectural schools in the country at that time, closely following the rules set forth by 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,...
. Shaw completed the two-year program in one year. Shaw would use the elements of Georgian, Tudor, and neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
design he learned from MIT in most of his later works.
William Le Baron Jenney
William Le Baron Jenney was an American architect and engineer who became known as the Father of the American skyscraper.- Life and career :...
was emerging as an innovating designer, creating the first skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
s. His firm was already gaining a reputation as a training ground for new architects, such as Daniel Burnham
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
and Louis Sullivan
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
. Shaw worked directly with emerging architects James Gamble Rogers
James Gamble Rogers
James Gamble Rogers was an American architect best known for his academic commissions at Yale University, Columbia University, Northwestern University, and elsewhere....
, Alfred Hoyt Granger
Frost & Granger
Frost & Granger was an architectural partnership of Charles Sumner Frost and Alfred Hoyt Granger. Frost and Granger were known for their designs of train stations and terminals, including the now-demolished Chicago and North Western Terminal, in Chicago. The firm designed many buildings, some of...
, and D. Everett Waid. Shaw received his first commission from his wife's parents, who desired a new house in Lakeville
Lakeville, Connecticut
Lakeville is a village and census-designated place in the town of Salisbury in Litchfield County, Connecticut, on Lake Wononskopomuc. The village includes Lakeville Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The district represents about of the village center...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
After the completion of the Wells house, he traveled to Europe to study the endemic architecture. He visited Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Shaw spent two months in England before returning to Chicago. He rejoined Jenney & Mundie in early 1893, and on April 20, he married Francis Wells. Chicago architecture was receiving new recognition thanks to the success of the "White City" at the World's Columbian Exposition. Shaw worked on one last commission for the firm, the Snitzler house, in 1894.
In 1894, Shaw established his own practice while finishing his work for Jenney & Mundie in his father's attic on Calumet Avenue. His first solo commissions were for his father, who wanted one house for his daughter and son-in-law, and another for the newlywed Shaws. These two adjacent houses featured a combination of Queen Anne, Tudor, and Romanesque
Romanesque
Romanesque may refer to:*Romanesque art, the art of Western Europe from approximately AD 1000 to the 13th century or later*Romanesque architecture, architecture of Europe which emerged in the late 10th century and lasted to the 13th century...
styles. The incorporation of Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....
set these houses apart from their neighbors. Shaw soon received five other requests for buildings in the Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Chicago
Hyde Park, located on the South Side of the City of Chicago, in Cook County, Illinois, United States and seven miles south of the Chicago Loop, is a Chicago neighborhood and one of 77 Chicago community areas. It is home to the University of Chicago, the Hyde Park Art Center, the Museum of Science...
neighborhood. Hyde Park, recently annexed by Chicago, was the fastest-growing neighborhood, thanks to the recently-opened University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. Shaw received the commissions from individuals who were familiar with his father and family.
Howard Van Doren Shaw's first major commission was for Richard R. Donnelly, cofounder of Lakeside Press. Donnelly's son Thomas was a classmate of Howard's at Yale and admired his architecture. Shaw agreed to design a new printing plant for the company in 1897. Lakeside Press published high-quality works, so it was necessary to reflect this in the building's design. Most printing press buildings of the age built from wooden to support the machines. However, Shaw decided to use a more fireproof design, with concrete floors and reinforcement columns. The building was a great success for Lakeside Press, and Shaw later received several more commissions from Donnelly, including a 1902 addition to this building. As Shaw's business grew, he moved his offices into the Montauk Building
Montauk Building
The Montauk Building - also often referred to as Montauk Block - was a high-rise building in Chicago, Illinois.Designed by John Wellborn Root Sr. and Daniel Burnham, it was built in 1882–1883, and was demolished in 1902...
.
In 1897, Shaw bought a one-third share of a 53 acres (21.4 ha) farm on Green Bay Road in Lake Forest
Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest is an affluent city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The city is south of Waukegan along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest was founded around Lake Forest College and was laid out as a town in...
. Lake Forest had been a rural community to the north of Chicago, but was recently becoming a retreat site for the wealthy following the completion of the Onwentsia Club
Onwentsia Club
Onwentsia Club is an 18-hole golf course. It is located at the Onwentsia Club facility in Lake Forest, Illinois, U.S., and lies in Lake County....
in 1895. Shaw built a house for his family on the farm, and built houses for Dr. William E. Castleberry and Dr. Nathan Smith Davis, the other two owners of the property. These houses exhibited Shaw's first forays into the Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
. Shaw's house, Ragdale
Ragdale
Ragdale is the summer retreat of Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, located in Lake Forest, Illinois. It is also the home of the Ragdale Foundation...
, is today considered one of the best examples of Arts ans Crafts architecture and is 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...
. Shaw became interested in the movement after holding a joint exhibition for Chicago architecture and Arts and Crafts designers at the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
. Although the movement is characterized by designs from all over the world, Shaw focused on American and English styles. Shaw would meet with other Arts and Crafts architects, including 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...
, in a lunch group known as The Eighteen, an early version of the Prairie School
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
. However, Shaw grew alienated from the Prairie School as he was a firm believer in the value of the old European architecture eschewed by the other architects.
Later life and career
In the early 20th century, Shaw became the most recognized designer of country houses in Lake Forest. He typically designed houses either as an elongated rectangle, or as a building surrounding a courtyard. Shaw preferred to do the landscaping himself, but also collaborated with renowned landscape architect Jens JensenJens Jensen
Jens August Jensen was an Australian politician and Minister for the Navy.Jensen was born in Ballarat, Victoria and educated at Ballarat, leaving school at 11. He became a rabbit-hawker and miner at Beaconsfield, Tasmania. In July 1885 he married Elizabeth Frances Broadhurst; she died in 1894...
. As housing desirability for the wealthy waned in Hyde Park, it grew in the Gold Coast
Gold Coast Historic District (Chicago, Illinois)
The Gold Coast Historic District is a historic district in Chicago, Illinois. Part of Chicago's Near North Side community area, it is roughly bounded by North Avenue, Lake Shore Drive, Oak Street, and Clark Street....
, and Shaw quickly became the prominent architect in this neighborhood.
Shaw received another major commission in 1906, this time in the Chicago Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
. The sixteen-story Mentor Building was designed in the Chicago style
Chicago school (architecture)
Chicago's architecture is famous throughout the world and one style is referred to as the Chicago School. The style is also known as Commercial style. In the history of architecture, the Chicago School was a school of architects active in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century...
, but also retained neoclassical elements. Unlike other buildings in the style, the Mentor buildings have clear base, middle, and top sections, reminiscent of European tradition. The building still stands today and is part of the Loop Retail Historic District
Loop Retail Historic District
Loop Retail Historic District is a shopping district within the Chicago Loop community area in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is bounded by Lake Street to the north, Congress Parkway to the south, State Street to the west and Wabash Avenue to the east...
. In 1910, he designed an eight-story apartment building in the Gold Coast that would become the first cooperatively owned
Housing cooperative
A housing cooperative is a legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, sometimes subject to an occupancy agreement, which is similar to a lease. ...
apartment building in Chicago. In 1910, Shaw moved his offices into the Mentor Building. Shortly thereafter, one of his top students, David Adler
David Adler
David Adler was a prolific architect, designing over 200 buildings...
, left the firm to start his own practice.
Although Lake Forest had become a magnet for the wealthy, the local commercial district was unkempt. The city sought to relieve this problem in 1912 by creating a "shopping center" where several businesses could operate out of one parcel of land. Shaw was asked to design this center, and in 1915, he designed a U-shaped mall surrounding parking spaces and a central courtyard. Shaw collaborated with Edward H. Bennett
Edward H. Bennett
Edward Herbert Bennett was an architect and city planner best known for his co-authorship of the 1909 Plan of Chicago.-Biography:Bennett was born in Bristol, England in 1874, and later moved to San Francisco with his family...
on the design, a local architect that rose to prominence after co-authoring the Burnham Plan
Burnham Plan
The Burnham Plan is a popular name for the 1909 Plan of Chicago, co-authored by Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett. It recommended an integrated series of projects including new and widened streets, parks, new railroad and harbor facilities, and civic buildings...
for Chicago. Shaw's design was inspired by a trip he made through Europe in 1913. Market Square
Market Square (Lake Forest, Illinois)
Market Square is a shopping center located in Lake Forest, Illinois, United States, in the Chicago metropolitan area. Opened in 1916, it is notable as one of the earliest planned shopping centers, and is often cited as the first planned shopping center in the United States.Although Country Club...
became the first planned shopping center in the United States.
City planning became an important topic for architects following the completion of the Pullman District
Pullman District
The Pullman District, as it has been designated on the list of Chicago Landmarks, or Pullman Historic District, as it has been designated on the National Register of Historic Places, was the first model, planned industrial community in the United States...
in the 1880s. Shaw made a foray into city planning with the construction of Marktown, Indiana for industrialist Clayton Mark, founder of Mark Manufacturing Company. Mark recently built a steel mill on the Indiana coast and wanted a company town to support it. Shaw designed the village and construction began in 1916. However, only a small portion of it was ever built, preserved today as the Marktown Historic District.
In 1921, Shaw was again contracted by R. R. Donnelley to built a printing plant, this time in Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...
. Donnelley would later commission a second Lakeside Press Building
R.R. Donnelley and Sons Co. Calumet Plant
The R.R Donnelley Printing Plant, sometimes known as the Lakeside Press Building or more simply The Calumet Plant and now known as the Lakeside Technology Center, was built between 1912 and 1929 to house the operations of the RR Donnelley printing company...
. Shaw also began to develop apartment buildings for the Gold Coast at this time. Shaw was a trustee at the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
and was asked to build several additions, including the central courtyard. He designed two fraternity houses for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
and one at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
In 1906, he became a member of the American Institute of Architects
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...
and was made a Fellow the following year. He was awarded its AIA Gold Medal
AIA Gold Medal
The AIA Gold Medal is awarded by the American Institute of Architects conferred "by the national AIA Board of Directors in recognition of a significant body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture."...
shortly before his death in 1926. He is buried in Graceland Cemetery
Graceland Cemetery
Graceland Cemetery is a large Victorian era cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, USA. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Irving Park Road...
. Howard Shaw's students David Adler, R. Harold Zook, Harry W.J. Edbrooke
Harry W.J. Edbrooke
Harry W.J. Edbrooke was an American architect. He was born born in Chicago into a family of architects. His father was Willoughby J. Edbrooke . He worked with his uncle Frank E. Edbrooke in Denver, Colorado. Several of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.He...
, and Edward H. Bennett became notable architects in their own right. Shaw's daughter Sylvia
Sylvia Shaw Judson
Sylvia Shaw Judson , also known as Sylvia Shaw Haskins, was an American sculptor and teacher.-Early life and education:Shaw was born in 1897 in Lake Forest, Illinois, near Chicago, the daughter of prominent Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw. She attended the Westover School in Connecticut. In...
became a notable sculptor.