The Resume

(November 24, 1859-May 17, 1934)
Born in Zanesville, Ohio
Beaux Arts architect
Notable buildings include the Alexander Hamilton Custom House in New York City (1907), the Woolworth Building (1913), the New York Life Insurance Building (1928), and the United States Supreme Court Building (1935)
Also designed the State Capitols of Minnesota (1905), Arkansas (1915), and West Virginia (1932) and the Public Libraries of St. Louis (1912) and Detroit (1921)
President of the American Institute of Architects (1908-09) and the National Academy of Design (1926-33)
Nephew of Senator and Presidential candidate Lewis Cass

Why he might be annoying:

Architectural Digest described him as ‘more than a little prissy.’
He sometimes gets confused with C.P.H. Gilbert. (It doesn’t help that while Cass was designing the Woolworth Building, C.P.H. was designing F.W. Woolworth’s private mansion.)
He disliked the Woolworth Building’s nickname ‘the Cathedral of Commerce,’ feeling it was disrespectful of religion.

Why he might not be annoying:

He began his architectural career at age 17 with a firm in St. Paul, Minnesota.
He was a member of the jury to select architects for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.
In its obituary, the Times of London wrote, ‘The list of his most important buildings would be enough to prove him the most remarkable architect of his generation.’

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Architects
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 96]
• I Attended MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
• I Died in 1934 (Ranked: 74)
• I Named My Kid After Myself
• Look at Me, My Picture Is Art
• My Uncle is Famous Too
• Profiles 59701-59750 (Ranked: 59732)

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying