Gouverneur Medwin Peek was an American architect who practiced in Central Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 in the middle years of the twentieth century.

Early Years and Education

Peek was born 26 Jan 1900, Palatka

Palatka

Palatka may refer to:*Palatka, Florida, a city in the United States*Palatka, Russia, an urban-type settlement in Magadan Oblast, Russia*East Palatka, Florida, a census-designated place in the United States...

, Putnam County

Putnam County

Putnam County is the name of nine counties in the United States of America:*Putnam County, Florida*Putnam County, Georgia*Putnam County, Illinois*Putnam County, Indiana*Putnam County, Missouri*Putnam County, New York*Putnam County, Ohio...

, Florida to Gouverneur Frank Peek and Rebecca Medwin Hyde. His father died the year after his birth. He and his mother lived with his maternal grandmother in DeLand thereafter. Peek graduated with a bachelor of science degree from Stetson University

Stetson University

Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I-4 corridor in Central Florida. The primary undergraduate campus is located in DeLand, Florida, USA. In the 2012 U.S...

 in 1920. He then studied at Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

 (Master in Architecture, 1924); his senior thesis, being "A Casino at De Leon Springs." His Harvard educaiton included two years of study in 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...

. After serving as artist of record on an archaeological team at Deir el Baḥri, in Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 (1924–1925), Peek then returned to Florida to begin architectural practice in DeLand.

Practice in DeLand, Florida

Peek designed many landmark structures in DeLand, including the old City Hall and the civic band shell. Peek also created notable homes in DeLand's University Terrace neighborhood. The subdivision is contained by Amelia, Garfield, Oakdale and University Avenues. It was platted in late 1925 by Harry W. Prahl, who was a contractor from Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...

. and who employeed Peek as consulting archtictect between 1926 and 1928. The development comprised the styles popular in Florida at the time, with Tudor and Colonial designs on the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue and those with Mediterranean and Mission revival to the north.

Medwin Peek was a childood friend of Bert Fish

Bert Fish

Bert Fish was an American judge, real-estate operator, finance director, philanthropist, and ambassador.-Early life:Fish originally hailed from Bedford, Indiana, but moved to Volusia County, Florida in 1881...

 and served as the architect of the Fish Memorial Hospitals. His address, at 714 N. Woodland Blvd., De Land, FL, is now part of the campus of First Presbyterian Church, DeLand.

Personal life

Peek married Allyene Foster (4 Aug. 1906 - 27 Aug. 1927), a native of Springfield, Vermont

Springfield, Vermont

Springfield is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 9,373 at the 2010 census.-History:One of the New Hampshire grants, the township was chartered on August 20, 1761 by Governor Benning Wentworth and awarded to Gideon Lyman and 61 others...

. Peek died on 25 Apr. 1979, in Deland, at the age of 79.

Selected Work

• 1924 The DeLand Hotel, now DeLand Artisan Inn, 215 S. Woodland Blvd., DeLand
• 1926 DeLand City Hall, Florida Ave., between New York and Howry Aves.
• 1926 "Casa de Rosa", 321 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, University Terrace, DeLand
• 1926 Smith Hall, the John J. Peacock Residence, 717 N. Amelia Ave., University Terrace, DeLand
• 1926 Old DeLand Colored Hospital, Stone Street
• 1929, the DeLand Band Shell at Veterans Park, between Rich and Indiana (demolished in 1950)
• 1936 Commons Building, West end of Bert Fish Dr., (burned in 1954)
• 1945 Music Building, Stetson University, DeLand, Florida
• 1952 Fish Memorial Hospital, DeLand, Florida