Matchett Herring Coe
Encyclopedia
Coe was born in Loeb (now Lumberton
Lumberton, Texas
Lumberton is a city in Hardin County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,943 at the 2010 census. Lumberton is home of Village Creek State Park...
), Texas and lived in the Beaumont area most of his life. He graduated from Lamar College, attended Cranbrook Educational Community
Cranbrook Educational Community
The Cranbrook Educational Community, a National Historic Landmark, in the US state of Michigan was founded in the early 20th century by newspaper mogul George Gough Booth. Cranbrook campus is in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills consisting of Cranbrook Schools, Cranbrook Academy of Art,...
and served with the Seabees on Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
during World War II, but was active as a sculptor before the war. His works have been featured at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C.
Several of his best known works include his 1936 commissioned sculpture of Confederate hero Richard W. Dowling
Richard W. Dowling
Richard William "Dick" Dowling was the victorious commander at the Second Battle of Sabine Pass in the American Civil War, and is considered Houston, Texas's first prominent citizen and hero.-Biography:...
at Sabine Pass, Texas
Sabine Pass, Texas
Sabine Pass is a neighborhood of Port Arthur, Texas, United States. It lies on the west bank of Sabine Pass, near the Louisiana border.Originally known as Sabine City, the original date of settlement of Sabine Pass is unknown, but is estimated at 1836...
for the Texas Centennial. Coe also created the 1961 statue of the Texas Confederate Veteran featured at the Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi.
Work
- friezes and other work at Jefferson County Court HouseJefferson County Courthouse (Texas)The Jefferson County Courthouse in Beaumont, Texas is one of the tallest courthouses in the state, and is an excellent example of Art Deco architecture. Built in 1931, it is the fourth courthouse built in Jefferson County. It was designed by Fred Stone and Augustin Babin, and is thirteen stories high...
, Beaumont, TexasBeaumont, TexasBeaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, 1931 - reliefs of workers and business people, First National Bank Building (Beaumont, Texas)First National Bank Building (Beaumont, Texas)The First National Bank Building in downtown Beaumont, Texas was built in 1937 and is an excellent example of Art Deco architecture. The building is four stories tall and decorated with reliefs of workers and business people designed by Beaumont-based sculptor Matchett Herring Coe....
, 1937 - architectural sculpture for the Houston City HallHouston City HallThe Houston City Hall building is the headquarters of the City of Houston government. It was constructed in 1938-1939, and is located in Downtown Houston. It is surrounded by skyscrapers and very similar to dozens of other city halls built in the southwest United States during the same time...
(with Raoul JossetRaoul JossetRaoul Jean Josset was a French born American sculptor.During the First World War, he worked as an interpreter for American forces in France. He was a pupil of Antoine Bourdelle between 1920 and 1926...
), 1939-1939 - his cenotaphCenotaphA cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
commemorating school children killed in an explosionNew London School explosionThe New London School explosion occurred on March 18, 1937, when a natural gas leak caused an explosion, destroying the London School of New London, Texas, a community in Rusk County previously known as "London". The disaster killed more than 295 students and teachers, making it the worst...
at New London, TexasNew London, TexasNew London is a city in Rusk County, Texas, United States. The population was 987 at the 2000 census.On March 18, 1937, the London School Explosion killed in excess of three hundred people...
, 1939 - reliefs on the Fondren Library at Rice UniversityRice UniversityWilliam Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
- work at Lamar UniversityLamar UniversityLamar University, often referred to as Lamar or LU, is a comprehensive coeducational public research university located in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar confers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees and is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher...
- entrance pylons, work on the Reptile House, and other work at the Houston ZooHouston ZooThe Houston Zoo is a zoological park located within Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. Housing over 6,000 animals belonging to over 900 species, the zoo receives 1.6 million visitors each year and is the seventh most visited zoo in the nation...