Wikipedia

Harold Crawford (architect)

Harold Hamilton Crawford (April 6, 1888 - May 8, 1981) was an American architect known for his contributions to early 20th-century architecture in the Midwest, particularly in Rochester, Minnesota, with a long career spanning from 1916 - 1965.[1] Notable works include the former Rochester Public Library building in downtown Rochester now known as the Mitchell Student Center and part of the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine; as well as numerous residences in the Pill Hill Residential Historic District in Rochester, MN currently recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.[2][3]

Early life and education

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Crawford was born on April 6, 1888 in Beaver Creek, Minnesota to parents Isaac Franklin "Frank" Crawford (1861–1922) and Carrie Salome Seymour (1860–1936, born in Orion Township near Eyota, MN). He spent some of his early teenage years in Lead, South Dakota living with his aunt and uncle. He was enrolled as a freshman at the high school in Lead and eventually transferred back to Minnesota to complete high school at Rochester High School. In 1908, Crawford was accepted into the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois where he was exposed to the architectural styles of Louis Sullivan, Dankmar Adler, Daniel Burnham, and Frank Lloyd Wright in nearby Oak Park. At Illinois, Crawford worked directly under Chicago architects James M. White, James B. Dibelka, and Leon M. Stanhope. He received his Bachelor of Art and Architecture degree in 1913, and worked briefly at the Chicago Building Inspection Department under Mr. Stanhope. From 1914 - 1916, Crawford pursued and was awarded a Masters degree in Art and Architecture from Harvard University. While in Boston, he became friends and colleagues with prominent architect Frank Chouteau Brown, helping spark his enthusiasm for residential design. While at Harvard, he studied drawing under Hermann Dudley Murphy and watercolor painting under Herbert Langford Warren.[4] In 1916, he returned home to Rochester, MN to be near and care for his mother and start his architectural practice.[5]

Career and Architectural Style

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After returning to Rochester, Crawford’s first commission was for Dr. Christopher Graham, a founding member of the Mayo Clinic.[5] This commission and others helped to establish Crawford's reputation as a prominent residential architect, eventually designing many homes for Mayo Clinic physicians, especially in the Pill Hill Residential Historic District and surrounding neighborhood. During World War I, Crawford joined the army as a second lieutenant.[1] One of his first commissions after the War was for Parish Hall at Cavalry Episcopal Church.[4] Crawford is attributed to over 180 structures, the slight majority of which (ninety eight) were residential.[5] He designed seventy houses in southwest Rochester and twenty three outside of Rochester.[1] In his residential projects, he was known for often being on site with his clients and making final design decisions and changes at the job site.[5] His portfolio also included numerous non-residential structures including commercial and agricultural buildings, government buildings, schools, creameries, medical buildings, churches, and apartment buildings.[1][5] He was known for making elaborately detailed drafts of properties without the assistance of a draftsman.[5] A frequent collaborator in the construction of Crawford's designs was Garfield Schwarz, whose company also constructed every Mayo Clinic building from 1914-1948, including the iconic Plummer Building.[6]

Crawford's architectural style was diverse, producing works adhering to principles found in many different schools including Tudor Revival, Dutch Colonial, Craftsman, Georgian, Mediterranean Revival, and Art Deco, or sometimes borrowing ideas from multiple schools as in the Eclectic School.[7] His most common residential style was Colonial (thirty six structures), followed by Tudor revival (twenty three structures), for which he is perhaps best known.[5] His signature residential style eventually became known by its exterior details of brickwork, stucco, stone, and half timbering, alongside elaborate brick chimneys, slate roofs, and wrought iron balconies.[5] His use of eclectic details was generally restrained in his works.[5] His practice slowed after World War II and he shifted towards fewer works performed mostly for his personal friends.[5] He retired around 1965.[8]

Personal life

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Crawford met his future wife, May Fisher (1886–1945), while on an architectural assignment at the home of Dr. Georgine M. Luden at 618 3rd St SW, where May was residing at the time. They were married on September 10th, 1919 in Dr. Luden's home.[7] Harold and May adopted their daughter Margaret in November of 1920, after Margaret's biologic mother, a patient of Dr. Luden's, had died from cancer when Margaret was an infant.[9] Crawford designed his own home (1926) at 514 8th Ave SW, an Arts & Crafts style cottage where the Crawford family lived, along with his mother Carrie, and rented out the lower level; their first tenant in 1927 was Philip Showalter Hench.[1] Crawford was an active member of the community in Rochester, including membership at the Masonic Lodge, Rochester Art Center, Rochester Rotary Club, Rochester Golf and Country Club, and Calvary Episcopal Church.[1] Crawford died on May 8, 1981 at the Methodist Campus of Mayo Clinic Hospital (Rochester) and is buried at Oakwood Cemetery (Rochester, MN).[2]

Selected works

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  • Residence for Edward Calvin Kendall, 627 8th Ave SW, (1919)[5]
  • Residence for Edward Rosenow, 617 9th Ave SW (1919)[5]
  • Viola Cooperative Creamery (1924)[10]
  • Harold Crawford residence, 514 8th Ave SW Rochester (1926)
  • Numerous additional residences in the Pill Hill Residential Historic District in Rochester, MN[5]
  • Rochester Bread Company, 300th Ave NW, Rochester (1928)
  • Folwell Elementary School, 603 15th Ave SW (1930)[5]
  • Holland's Cafeteria (1930)[7]
  • Rochester Post Office, formerly on the corner of 4th Ave and 4th St SW (1932)[7] demolished 1978
  • Rochester Public Library, 226 2nd St SW, Rochester (1936-37), now the Mitchell Student Center and part of the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
  • Parish Hall, Calvary Episcopal Church

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Scanlon, Paul (September 25, 2023). Rochester Memories: Historic Tales from Med City. The History Press. ISBN 978-1467154352.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  2. ^ a b "Obituary for Harold H. Crawford". Rochester Post Bulletin. May 8, 1981. p. 28.
  3. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form". Digital Archive on NPGallery. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Severson, Harold (February 23, 1976). "Work of Longtime City Architect To Receive Special Recognition". Rochester Post Bulletin. pp. 25–26.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Allsen, Ken (2014). Master Architect: The Life and Works of Harold Crawford. History Center of Olmsted County. ISBN 978-0692020913.
  6. ^ Allsen, Ken (October 2, 2012). Old College Street: The Historic Heart of Rochester, Minnesota. The History Press. ISBN 978-1609496142.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. ^ a b c d Lange, Steve (October 2018). "The Man Who Shaped the City". Rochester Magazine. pp. 32–38. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  8. ^ Lathrop, Alan K. (2010). Minnesota architects: a biographical dictionary. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-4463-6.
  9. ^ Weber, Tom (April 11, 2024). "How May Fisher Crawford made her mark on Rochester". Rochester Magazine, via the Rochester Post Bulletin. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  10. ^ Lathrop, Alan K. (2010). Minnesota architects: a biographical dictionary. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-4463-6.
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