Walker and Weeks
Encyclopedia
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...
founded by Frank Ray Walker (1877-1949) and Harry F. Weeks (1871-1935).
Background
Both men studied at MITMIT School of Architecture and Planning
The MIT School of Architecture and Planning is one of the five schools of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA...
, where they received training in the Beaux-Arts tradition of classical design. They moved to Cleveland to work for the prominent Cleveland architect J. Milton Dyer
J. Milton Dyer
J. Milton Dyer was a prominent Cleveland, Ohio architect.-Background:Dwyer was born in Middletown, Pennsylvania where his father had a hardware business...
(1870-1957).
In 1911 Walker and Weeks opened their own practice; the office continued to produce work even after Weeks's death, until the early 1950s. As was often the case with architecture firms, Walker was the designer while Weeks was primarily the businessman.
Works
The firm is most noted for its bank buildings; several dozen were designed in the teens alone. Their best-known bank was the Federal Reserve Bank of ClevelandFederal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland is the Cleveland-based headquarters of the U.S. Federal Reserve System's Fourth District. The district is composed of Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. It has branch offices in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh....
, built in 1923. However, they also designed a wide variety of commercial, public, ecclesiastic and residential buildings, as well as a number of bridges, during the course of the firm's life. Walker and Weeks were responsible for the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza
Indiana World War Memorial Plaza
The Indiana World War Memorial Plaza is an urban feature located in Indianapolis, Indiana, originally built to honor the veterans of World War I. The five-city-block plaza was conceived in 1919 as a location for the national headquarters of the American Legion and a memorial to the state's and...
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, which features a cenotaph
Cenotaph
A 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...
based on the Mausoleum of Maussollos
Mausoleum of Maussollos
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus or Tomb of Mausolus was a tomb built between 353 and 350 BC at Halicarnassus for Mausolus, a satrap in the Persian Empire, and Artemisia II of Caria, his wife and sister....
.
Walker and Weeks frequently employed sculptor Henry Hering
Henry Hering
Henry Hering was an American sculptor who was born New York City on February 15, 1874 and died there on January 17, 1949.-Early career:He was a student of Augustus Saint-Gaudens at Cooper Union and of Philip Martiny at the Art Students League of New York...
to create sculpture for their projects.
Like many architects the firm produced work in a variety of styles, from 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...
, Italian Renaissance and finally, the 1930s, ending in Moderne
Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
and/or Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
.
Notable buildings
- Lorain County Savings and Loan Building, Elyria, OhioElyria, Ohio-Community:Elyria has an extensive, although financially burdened, community food pantry and "Hot Meals" program administered through the Second Harvest Food Bank and several churches Elyria is served by Elyria Memorial Hospital.-Recreation and parks:...
, 1916 - First National Bank of Cleveland, Cleveland, 1917
- Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company Building, Akron, OhioAkron, OhioAkron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, 1917 - Steubenville Bank and Trust Building, Steubenville, OhioSteubenville, OhioSteubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, 1919 - Public AuditoriumPublic AuditoriumPublic Auditorium is located in the central business district of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Since it was opened in 1922, it has served as a concert hall, sports arena and convention center. Although it was planned and funded prior to World War I, construction did not begin until 1920. Designed by...
, Cleveland, 1922 - Superior BuildingSuperior BuildingThe Superior Building, originally known as the Cleveland Discount Building, is a high-rise building in Cleveland, Ohio. The building rises 265 feet in Downtown Cleveland. It contains 22 floors, and was completed in 1922. The Superior Building currently stands as the 26th-tallest building in the...
, Cleveland, 1922 - Federal Reserve Bank of ClevelandFederal Reserve Bank of ClevelandThe Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland is the Cleveland-based headquarters of the U.S. Federal Reserve System's Fourth District. The district is composed of Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. It has branch offices in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh....
, Cleveland, 1923 - Tate HouseTate House (Georgia)The Tate House is an historic property east of Tate, Georgia on Georgia State Route 53, built for Colonel Samuel Tate in 1923. Designed by Walker and Weeks, architects in the Neo-Classical style, the home is made of pink and white marble supplied by Tate's Georgia Marble Company, and sometimes...
, Tate, Georgia, 1923 - Cleveland Public LibraryCleveland Public LibraryThe Cleveland Public Library was founded in 1869 and is located in Cleveland, Ohio. It operates the Main Library on Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland, 28 branches throughout the city, a mobile library, a Public Administration Library in City Hall, and a library for the blind and physically...
Building, Cleveland, 1925 - Old National Bank BuildingOld National Bank BuildingThe Old National Bank building, located in Spokane, Washington, was completed in 1911 and was the first skyscraper located in the Inland Northwest. This fifteen story tower reaches to a height of 217 feet above the Spokane valley and remained the tallest building in the city until the Paulsen...
, Lima, OhioLima, OhioLima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
, 1925 - Allen Memorial Medical LibraryAllen Memorial Medical LibraryAllen Memorial Medical Library is located along Euclid Avenue on the campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. The library was designed in a classical revival style by the Cleveland firm of Walker and Weeks and completed in 1926. In addition to housing a portion of the Cleveland...
, Cleveland, 1926 - Indiana World War MemorialIndiana World War Memorial PlazaThe Indiana World War Memorial Plaza is an urban feature located in Indianapolis, Indiana, originally built to honor the veterans of World War I. The five-city-block plaza was conceived in 1919 as a location for the national headquarters of the American Legion and a memorial to the state's and...
, Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, 1927 - Thirty-seventh Division Memorial Bridge, EyneEyneEyne is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:**...
, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, 1927 - Epworth-Euclid Methodist Church (with Bertram GoodhueBertram GoodhueBertram Grosvenor Goodhue was a American architect celebrated for his work in neo-gothic design. He also designed notable typefaces, including Cheltenham and Merrymount for the Merrymount Press.-Early career:...
), Cleveland, 1928 - St. Paul's Episcopal ChurchSt. Paul's Episcopal Church (Cleveland Heights, Ohio)St. Paul's Episcopal Church is a parish of the Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The current rector is the Rev. Alan M. Gates, who took the position in 2004. St. Paul's is a leading church and has the largest congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio.The church building is a...
, Cleveland Heights, OhioCleveland Heights, OhioCleveland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Cleveland. The city's population was 46,121 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Cleveland Heights is located at ....
1928 - First Baptist Church, Shaker Heights, OhioShaker Heights, OhioShaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population was 28,448. It is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland that abuts the city on its eastern side.-Topography:Shaker Heights is located at...
, 1928 - First Church of Christ, ScientistFirst Church of Christ, Scientist (Cleveland, Ohio)The former First Church of Christ, Scientist, located at 2200 Overlook Road, in the University Circle area of Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States is an historic building that was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 20, 2003....
, Cleveland, 1929 - Lorain-Carnegie Bridge, Cleveland, 1929
- Municipal StadiumCleveland StadiumCleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
, Cleveland, 1931 - Severance HallSeverance HallSeverance Hall is a concert hall located in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. The hall has been the home of the Cleveland Orchestra since its opening on February 5, 1931...
, Cleveland, 1931 - Tomlinson Hall, Case Institute of TechnologyCase Western Reserve UniversityCase Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
, Cleveland, 1945 - Highland View Hospital, Highland Hills, OhioHighland Hills, OhioHighland Hills is a village in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,130 at the 2010 census. It was formally incorporated in 1990.-Geography:Highland Hills is located at ....
, 1952 - Saint Ann Church, Cleveland Heights, OhioCleveland Heights, OhioCleveland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Cleveland. The city's population was 46,121 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Cleveland Heights is located at ....
, 1952