Titus de Bobula
Encyclopedia
Titus de Bobula was a Hungarian American
architect
.
He was born in Hungary
to János Bobula, Sr. (1844-1903), a Budapest
architect and politician, and he studied at Budapest University of Technology and Economics
, along with his brother, János Jr. (1871-1922), who also became an architect.
Titus de Bobula emigrated to the United States around 1897, living and working at times in New York City
and Marietta, Ohio
. In 1903, he arrived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, where he designed buildings for the next eight years. One of his major commissions was St. John the Baptist Greek Catholic Church in Munhall, Pennsylvania
, patterned after the Rusyn Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Uzhhorod
, Austria-Hungary
. The church's twin towers, which rise 125 feet, are composed of white brick in a Greek cruciform pattern set into sandstone. His last building in Pittsburgh was St. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in Carnegie, Pennsylvania
.
In 1910, her married Eurania Dinkey Mock of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
(a niece of the wife of Charles M. Schwab
, president at times of the Carnegie Steel Company
, U.S. Steel
, and Bethlehem Steel
), and the couple moved to New York City. He returned to Hungary in the early 1920s and turned to political activism. On Nov. 10, 1923, the front page of the New York Times read: “Titus De Bobula Jailed in Budapest: Husband of Mrs. C. M. Schwab’s Niece Arrested for Plot to Overthrow (Hungarian) Government.”
He was back in the U.S. by the 1930s, and in the words of Nicola Tesla biographer Marc Seifer, he “was hired to design the tower, power plant, and housing for the inventor’s ‘impenetrable shield between nations’” – a futuristic electronic weapons system.
De Bobula moved to Washington, D.C., in the 1930s. A Washington Post obituary from 1961 described him as a retired consulting architect best known for designing churches in Ohio
and Pennsylvania
.
He and his wife are buried in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
.
Hungarian American
Hungarian Americans Hungarian are American citizens of Hungarian descent. The constant influx of Hungarian immigrants was marked by several waves of sharp increase.-History:...
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 was born in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
to János Bobula, Sr. (1844-1903), a Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
architect and politician, and he studied at Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
The Budapest University of Technology and Economics , in hungarian abbreviated as BME, English official abbreviation BUTE, is the most significant University of Technology in Hungary and is also one of the oldest Institutes of Technology in the world, having been founded in 1782.-History:BME is...
, along with his brother, János Jr. (1871-1922), who also became an architect.
Titus de Bobula emigrated to the United States around 1897, living and working at times in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Marietta, Ohio
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...
. In 1903, he arrived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, where he designed buildings for the next eight years. One of his major commissions was St. John the Baptist Greek Catholic Church in Munhall, Pennsylvania
Munhall, Pennsylvania
Munhall is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on the west bank of the Monongahela River, south of the confluence of the Monongahela and the Allegheny rivers where the Ohio River begins. It abuts the borough of Homestead. A large part of the Homestead Works of the Carnegie Steel Company...
, patterned after the Rusyn Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod or Uzhgorod is a city located in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. It is the administrative center of the Zakarpattia Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Uzhhorodskyi Raion within the oblast...
, 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...
. The church's twin towers, which rise 125 feet, are composed of white brick in a Greek cruciform pattern set into sandstone. His last building in Pittsburgh was St. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in Carnegie, Pennsylvania
Carnegie, Pennsylvania
Carnegie is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 7,972 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Carnegie is located at . It is approximately southwest of Pittsburgh...
.
In 1910, her married Eurania Dinkey Mock of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
(a niece of the wife of Charles M. Schwab
Charles M. Schwab
Charles Michael Schwab was an American steel magnate. Under his leadership, Bethlehem Steel became the second largest steel maker in the United States, and one of the most important heavy manufacturers in the world....
, president at times of the Carnegie Steel Company
Carnegie Steel Company
Carnegie Steel Company was a steel producing company created by Andrew Carnegie to manage business at his steel mills in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area in the late 19th century.-Creation:...
, U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
, and Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
), and the couple moved to New York City. He returned to Hungary in the early 1920s and turned to political activism. On Nov. 10, 1923, the front page of the New York Times read: “Titus De Bobula Jailed in Budapest: Husband of Mrs. C. M. Schwab’s Niece Arrested for Plot to Overthrow (Hungarian) Government.”
He was back in the U.S. by the 1930s, and in the words of Nicola Tesla biographer Marc Seifer, he “was hired to design the tower, power plant, and housing for the inventor’s ‘impenetrable shield between nations’” – a futuristic electronic weapons system.
De Bobula moved to Washington, D.C., in the 1930s. A Washington Post obituary from 1961 described him as a retired consulting architect best known for designing churches in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
He and his wife are buried in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
.