Malcomson and Higginbotham
Encyclopedia
Malcomson and Higginbotham was an architectural firm started in the nineteenth century and based in Detroit, Michigan
. A successor firm, Malcomson-Greimel and Associates still exists in Rochester, Michigan
as of 2010.
The firm was retained by the Detroit Board of Education in 1895, and between 1895 and 1923 had designed over 75% of the school buildings in Detroit. The firm remained in business under various names until the present.
. He began his architectural career early, and in 1875 supervised the construction of the Henry Langley
-designed Erie Street United Church in Ridgetown, Ontario
. In 1882, Malcomson married Jessie E. McKinlay; the couple had five children. William G. Malcomson died in 1937.
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...
. A successor firm, Malcomson-Greimel and Associates still exists in Rochester, Michigan
Rochester, Michigan
Rochester is an affluent city in north Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan on the northern outskirts of metro Detroit. The population was 12,711 at the 2010 census...
as of 2010.
History
Architects William G. Malcomson and William E. Higginbotham formed a partnership in 1890.The firm was retained by the Detroit Board of Education in 1895, and between 1895 and 1923 had designed over 75% of the school buildings in Detroit. The firm remained in business under various names until the present.
William G. Malcomson
William G. Malcomson was born in 1856 in Hamilton, OntarioHamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
. He began his architectural career early, and in 1875 supervised the construction of the Henry Langley
Henry Langley (architect)
Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...
-designed Erie Street United Church in Ridgetown, Ontario
Ridgetown, Ontario
Ridgetown is a community located in south-east Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. It has a population of roughly 3,500 and is one of many small farming communities in Chatham-Kent.-History:...
. In 1882, Malcomson married Jessie E. McKinlay; the couple had five children. William G. Malcomson died in 1937.
William E. Higginbotham
William E. Higginbotham was born in 1858 in Detroit. He was educated in the Detroit public schools, and at the age of 19 joined the architectural form of J. V. Smith. He married Nettie M. Morphy in 1892; the couple had two children. William E. Higginbotham died in 1922.Other principals and architects
- Malcomson and Higginbotham began as a partnership between William G. Malcomson and William E. Higginbotham.
- Around 1907, the firm changed its name to "Malcomson, Higginbotham and Clement" with the addition of Hugh B. Clement as a partner. Clement soon left, and the name reverted to "Malcomson and Higginbotam."
- Wirt C. RowlandWirt C. RowlandWirt Clinton Rowland was an American architect best known for his work in Detroit, Michigan.-Biography:...
joined the firm, though nor as a partner, in 1912 and stayed until 1915 when he rejoined Albert Kahn. - C. William Palmer became a partner in 1920 and the firm became known as "Malcomson, Higginbotham and Palmer," reverting again to "Malcomson and Higginbotham" upon Palmer's departure in 1924, despite Higginbotham's death in 1922.
- In 1925, Alexander L. Trout became a partner, and the firm once more changed its name to "Malcomson and Higginbotham and Trout" until 1935 when Trout left.
- The firm finally dropped Higginbotham's name after Malcomson's death in 1937 with the addition of Ralph R. Calder, and Maurice E. Hammond, becoming "Malcomson, Calder, and Hammond;" they remained under that name until 1945, when Ralph R. Calder resigned to establish his eponymous firm, which remains in business.
- In 1945, Homer A. Fowler became a partner, and the firm name was changed to "Malcomson, Fowler, and Hammond." until 1958 at least
- In the 1960s, the firm merged with that of Karl H. Greimel to become "Greimel, Malcomson and Hammond." Karl Greimel was the dean of Lawrence Technological UniversityLawrence Technological UniversityLawrence Technological University, also known as Lawrence Tech or simply LTU, is a private university located in Southfield, Michigan. The school offers undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs in engineering, science, mathematics, architecture, graphic design, and business...
's School of Architecture from 1974 - 1991. - The firm was later known as "Greimel, Malcomson, and James."
- Finally, the firm was called, "Malcomson-Greimel and Associates" the form which exists as of 2010.
List of structures designed by Malcomson and Higginbotham
- Saint Joseph's Episcopal Church, 1883 (Detroit, Michigan)Saint Joseph's Episcopal Church, 1883 (Detroit, Michigan)Our Lady of the Rosary Roman Catholic Church, located at 5930 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, began in 1907. It was originally built as St. Joseph's Episcopal Church from 1893 to 1896 and is an historic Romanesque Revival church complex. On August 3, 1982, it was added to the National...
(1883) - Hook and Ladder House No. 5-Detroit Fire Department Repair ShopHook and Ladder House No. 5-Detroit Fire Department Repair ShopThe Hook and Ladder House No. 5 and the Detroit Fire Department Repair Shop are two cojoined structures located at 3400 and 3434 Russell Street in Detroit, Michigan. The Hook and Ladder House No...
(1888) - Cass Avenue Methodist Episcopal ChurchCass Avenue Methodist Episcopal ChurchThe Cass Community United Methodist Church is located at 3901 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was built in 1883 as the Cass Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1985.- History :The Cass...
(1891) addition - Old Main (Wayne State University)Old Main (Wayne State University)Old Main is an academic building on the campus of Wayne State University. It is located at 4841 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan on Wayne's main campus.-Location:...
(1895) - Mackenzie HouseWayne State University BuildingsThe Wayne State University Buildings historic district consists of three buildings on 4735-4841 Cass Ave in Detroit, Michigan: the Mackenzie House , the Hilberry Theater , and Old Main , all on the campus of Wayne State University...
(1895) - George P. MacNichol HouseGeorge P. MacNichol HouseThe George P. MacNichol House, also known as the Ford-MacNichol House, is a house located at 2610 Biddle Avenue in Wyandotte, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.The house is currently used as the main...
(1896) - Verona Apartments (Detroit, Michigan) (1896)
- James A. Garfield SchoolJames A. Garfield SchoolThe James A. Garfield School is a school building located at 840 Waterman Street in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as the Frank H. Beard School. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1984.- History :The James A...
(1896) - Starkweather Religious Center (1896)
- Ford-Bacon HouseFord-Bacon HouseThe Ford-Bacon House is located at 45 Vinewood in Wyandotte, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1987 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. It is now used as the Bacon Memorial District Library....
(1897) - Arthur M. Parker HouseArthur M. Parker HouseThe Arthur M. Parker House is a located at 8115 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, directly adjacent to the Frederick K. Stearns House. It is also known as the Parker House. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985....
(1901) - Henry S. Frieze Building (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...
) (1905) - Henry and Clara Ford House (1907)
- Cass Technical High SchoolCass Technical High SchoolThe Cass Tech Technicians football team is a high school football program in Division 1 Public School League, representing the prestigious Cass Technical High School in Detroit, MI. Cass Tech High School has long been recognized nationwide for its extraordinary football program dating back to its...
(1917) - Jefferson Intermediate SchoolJefferson Intermediate SchoolJefferson Intermediate School is a school building located at 938 Selden Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It is also known as Jefferson Junior High School or Jefferson School...
(1922) - Nellie Leland SchoolNellie Leland SchoolThe Nellie Leland School is a school building, originally built to serve handicapped children, located at 1395 Antietam Street in Detroit, Michigan It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. The building has been renovated into loft space.- History :Henry M...
(1918) - Cass Technical High SchoolCass Technical High SchoolThe Cass Tech Technicians football team is a high school football program in Division 1 Public School League, representing the prestigious Cass Technical High School in Detroit, MI. Cass Tech High School has long been recognized nationwide for its extraordinary football program dating back to its...
(1922) - Flint Central High SchoolFlint Central High SchoolFlint Central High School was one of the Flint Community Schools, located in Flint, Michigan, USA. Flint Central was the city's oldest school. Its first building was built in 1875, and the school moved into the present building in 1923. It was called Flint High School until Flint Northern High...
(1923) - Ann Arbor Elementary School (1929)
- Mosher-Jordan Hall (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...
) (1930) - University of Detroit Jesuit High School and AcademyUniversity of Detroit Jesuit High School and AcademyThe University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, founded in 1877, is one of two Jesuit high schools in the city of Detroit, Michigan...
(1931) - Mary Mayo Hall (Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
)) (1931) - Sarah Langdon Williams Hall (Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
)) (1937)