E. Chester Nelson AIA (July 26, 1894 – April 9, 1970) was an American architect in practice in Fort Smith, Arkansas from 1919 until his death in 1970. The firm he established in 1935 is still in business as of 2024 as Studio 6 Architects.
E. Chester Nelson | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 26, 1894 |
| Died | April 9, 1970 (aged 75) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Practice | Haralson & Nelson; E. Chester Nelson; E. Chester Nelson & Associates; Nelson, Laser & Cheyne |
Life and career
editElmer Chester Nelson was born July 26, 1894, in Minneapolis to Carl Oskar Nelson and Bessie Nelson, née Peterson. His parents were Swedish immigrants. His family moved to Birmingham, Alabama, when he was still a child. He was educated at the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now Auburn University, where he studied from 1913 to 1915. He then worked for architects Miller & Martin in Birmingham and Frederick Ausfeld in Montgomery until the outbreak of World War I, during which he served at an army depot at Newport News, Virginia. In 1919 he returned to Ausfeld, but within a few months was invited by a classmate, Joe J. Haralson, to come to Fort Smith. Haralson was working for Fort Smith architect Alonzo Klingensmith, who was looking to sell his firm. Klingensmith had been previously responsible for the Logan County Courthouse, Eastern District (1908) in Paris and the First Methodist Episcopal Church, South (1909) in Ozark. Together, they bought the firm and in November 1919 formed the partnership of Haralson & Nelson. Major works of the partnership include the Logan County Courthouse, Southern Judicial District (1928) in Booneville, the Dodson Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church (1930) in Fort Smith and the Johnson County Courthouse (1934) in Clarksville.[1][2]
In 1935 the partnership was dissolved. Haralson continued the firm as Haralson & Mott in partnership with Ralph O. Mott, an employee since 1931, and Nelson established an independent practice. Nelson's independent works include the Sebastian County Courthouse-Fort Smith City Hall (1937, with Bassham & Wheeler) in Fort Smith and the Madison County Courthouse (1939, with T. Ewing Shelton) in Huntsville and Our Lady of the Ozarks Shrine (1946) near Winslow. The firm was reorganized in 1957 as E. Chester Nelson & Associates to include Robert S. Laser, his nephew, and James G. Cheyne Jr. as associates. In 1962 they became partners in the reorganized Nelson, Laser & Cheyne. Nelson was senior partner of the firm until his death in 1970.[2]
Personal life
editNelson was married in 1930 to Minnie Laser. They had two children. He was a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), local fraternal organizations and the First Presbyterian Church. He died April 9, 1970, in Fort Smith at the age of 75.[2]
Legacy
editThe firm Nelson had established in 1935 outlived him. It was renamed first to Laser, Knight, Hathaway & Guest, second to Laser, Knight, Hendrix & Guest, third to Laser, Guest, Hendrix & Reddick and fourth to Guest Reddick Architects. Most recently, in 2016 it was renamed Studio 6 Architects.[3]
At least twelve buildings designed by Nelson, independently and with others, have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places.
Architectural works
editDates are date of completion where known; other dates are approximate.
Haralson & Nelson, 1919–1935
edit- 1928 – Heavener City Hall (former),[a] 401 E 1st St, Heavener, Oklahoma[4]
- 1928 – Logan County Courthouse, Southern Judicial District,[a] Booneville, Arkansas[2]
- 1929 – Fort Smith Masonic Temple,[b] 200 N 11th St, Fort Smith, Arkansas[5][2]
- 1930 – Dodson Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church,[a] Fort Smith, Arkansas[2]
- 1931 – Fentress Mortuary, 1805 N A St, Fort Smith, Arkansas[2]
- 1932 – Adair County Courthouse,[a] 220 W Division St, Stilwell, Oklahoma[6]
- 1934 – Johnson County Courthouse,[a] Clarksville, Arkansas[7]
- 1935 – Vol Walker Hall,[c] University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas[8]
- 1937 – Men's Gymnasium (former),[d] University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas[8]
E. Chester Nelson, 1935–1957
edit- 1937 – Sebastian County Courthouse-Fort Smith City Hall,[e] Fort Smith, Arkansas[9]
- 1939 – Madison County Courthouse,[f] Huntsville, Arkansas[10]
- 1942 – Davis Hall,[g] University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas[8]
- 1946 – Our Lady of the Ozarks Shrine,[a] Winslow, Arkansas
- 1952 – Sparks Regional Medical Center, 100 Towson Ave, Fort Smith, Arkansas[11]
E. Chester Nelson & Associates, 1957–1962
edit- 1961 – First Federal Building, 524 Garrison Ave, Fort Smith, Arkansas[12]
Nelson, Laser & Cheyne, from 1962
edit- 1964 – Silas H. Hunt Hall, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas[13]
- 1965 – Siloam Springs City Hall (former), 410 N Broadway St, Siloam Springs, Arkansas[14]
- 1966 – Fort Smith Convention Center, 55 S 7th St, Fort Smith, Arkansas[15]
- 1969 – Sebastian County Courthouse, 301 E Center St, Greenwood, Arkansas[16]
- 1971 – Kimpel Hall, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas[17]
- 1975 – Mercy Hospital Fort Smith,[h] 7301 Rogers Ave, Fort Smith, Arkansas[18]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c d e f NRHP-listed.
- ^ Designed by Mann, Wanger & King, architects, with Haralson & Nelson, associate architects. NRHP-listed.
- ^ Designed by Haralson & Nelson, architects, with Jamieson & Spearl, consulting architects. Gordon & Kaelber were later retained by the university to design the exterior. NRHP-listed, also a contributing resource to the University of Arkansas Campus Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2009.
- ^ NRHP-listed, also a contributing resource to the University of Arkansas Campus Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2009.
- ^ Designed by E. Chester Nelson and Bassham & Wheeler, associated architects. NRHP-listed.
- ^ Designed by T. Ewing Shelton and E. Chester Nelson, associated architects. NRHP-listed.
- ^ A contributing resource to the University of Arkansas Campus Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2009.
- ^ Designed by Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, architects, with Nelson, Laser & Cheyne, associate architects.
References
edit- ^ "Haralson & Nelson" in Centennial History of Arkansas 2 (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1922): 179-180.
- ^ a b c d e f g Brenda Andrews, "E. Chester Nelson: Designer of Landmarks" in Fort Smith Historical Society Journal 33, no. 1 (April, 2009): 6-18.
- ^ "Who We Are," Studio 6 Architects, no date. Accessed August 23, 2024.
- ^ Manufacturers' Record (December 16, 1926): 115.
- ^ Manufacturers' Record (April 18, 1929): 103.
- ^ John Deacon, "Adair County, Oklahoma," American Courthouses, no date. Accessed August 23, 2024.
- ^ Cyrus A. Sutherland, Buildings of Arkansas (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018): 105.
- ^ a b c University of Arkansas Campus Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2009)
- ^ Cyrus A. Sutherland, Buildings of Arkansas (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018): 93-94.
- ^ Cyrus A. Sutherland, Buildings of Arkansas (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018): 64-65.
- ^ "Nelson, E(lmer) Chester" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1956): 401-402.
- ^ "Laser, Robert S(tephens)" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1962): 407.
- ^ "Laser, Robert Stephens" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1970): 525.
- ^ "Progress to share," Northwest Arkansas Times, May 11, 1965, 9.
- ^ "Cheyne, James Garrick, Jr." in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1970): 152.
- ^ John Deacon, "Sebastian County, Arkansas," American Courthouses, no date. Accessed August 23, 2024.
- ^ "Plans for new U of A building approved," Baxter Bulletin, July 17, 1969, 5D.
- ^ Engineering News-Record, July 22, 1971, 51.