Edgar Viguers Seeler (1867–1929) was an American architect.

Biography

Early life

He was born on November 18, 1867, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

.Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
/ref> His father was George Washington Seeler (1839-1911) and his mother, Anna Maria (Viguers) Seeler (1838-1868). He graduated from Central High School in 1884. He attended night classes at the Philadelphia Museum and School of Industrial Art. He then graduated from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

in 1890. He then attended the

École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in nor ...

under the tutelage of

Victor Laloux Victor-Alexandre-Frédéric Laloux (; 15 November 1850 – 13 July 1937) was a French Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts architect and teacher. Life Born in Tours, Laloux studied at the Paris ''atelier'' of Louis-Jules André, with his st ...

(1850-1937) from 1890 to 1893.

Career

Back in the United States, he established his own architectural practice at 328 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. From 1893 to 1898, he also worked as an Assistant Professor of Architectural Design at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. Arthur Ingersoll Meigs (1882-1956) was his apprentice from 1905 to 1906.Philadelphia Architects and Buildings: Arthur Ingersoll Meigs
/ref> He was a member of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

and the T-Square Club, where he served as President in 1898. He was also a charter member of the Society of Beaux Arts Architects. Additionally, he was a member of the Pennsylvania chapter of the

Sons of the Revolution The Sons of the Revolution (SR), formally the General Society of the Sons of the Revolution (GSSR), is a patriotic organization headquartered at Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. A nonprofit corporation, the Sons of the Revolution was foun ...

and the

Fairmount Park Art Association Established in 1872 in Philadelphia, the Association for Public Art (aPA), formerly Fairmount Park Art Association, is the first private, nonprofit public art organization dedicated to integrating public art and urban planning in the United Stat ...

. He was married to Martha Page (Laughlin) Seeler (1871-1938). He resided at 1828 Locust Street in the

Rittenhouse Square Rittenhouse Square is a public park in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that is the center of the eponymous Rittenhouse neighborhood. The square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas ...

neighborhood of Philadelphia. Seeler retired in 1926, and died on October 26, 1929. He is buried in

West Laurel Hill Cemetery West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869, is in size, and contains the burials of many notable people. It is affiliated with Laurel Hill Cemetery in nearby Philadelphia. ...

, Lot Woodlawn-209, in

Bala Cynwyd Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community and census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania and borders the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Rou ...

, Pennsylvania.

Work

* Dental Hall (now Hayden Hall),

, 3300 Smith Walk, 1896. A contributing property to the

University of Pennsylvania Campus Historic District The University of Pennsylvania Campus Historic District is a historic district (United States), historic district on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The university relocated from Cente ...

. * First Baptist Church, 17th & Sansom Streets, Philadelphia, 1901 * Real Estate Trust Company Building,

Broad Broad(s) or The Broad(s) may refer to: People * A slang term for a woman. * Broad (surname), a surname Places * Broad Peak, on the border between Pakistan and China, the 12th highest mountain on Earth * The Broads, a network of mostly navi ...

& Chestnut Streets, 1903-1904 * private residence of Dr. Henry Carey Register, "Clovelly", Old Gulph Road in

Ardmore, Pennsylvania Ardmore is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) spanning the border between Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Montgomery counties in the U.S. ...

, 1905 * Philadelphia Bulletin Building, 1315-25 Filbert Street, 1906-1908, expanded 1915-1916 *

Curtis Publishing Company The Curtis Publishing Company, founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became one of the largest and most influential publishers in the United States during the early 20th century. The company's publications included the ''Ladies' Home ...

Building, Washington Square, NW corner 6th & Walnut Streets, 1912 * Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company Building, Washington Square, SE corner 6th & Walnut Streets, 1916 * four hundred houses in

Eddystone, Pennsylvania Eddystone is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,410 at the 2010 census. History The area at the mouth of Ridley Creek was first called "Tequirassy" by Native Americans in the ...

, for the

United States Housing Corporation The United States Housing Corporation (USHC) was a federal agency that existed during World War I. Its purpose was to provide housing for wartime production workers near arsenals and shipyards. Context With a massive wartime shipbuilding p ...

, 1918

Gallery

File:EngineeringBuildingatPenn.JPG, Hayden Hall (1896), University of Pennsylvania File:First Baptist Church of Philadelphia.jpg, First Baptist Church of Philadelphia (1901) File:CORNER CIRCULAR TOWER - Bulletin Building, 1315-1325 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA HABS PA,51-PHILA,410-1.tif, Bulletin Building (1906–08) File:Curtis building.jpg, Curtis Publishing Company Building (1912) File:Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company Building.jpg, Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company Building (1916)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seeler, Edgar Viguers 1867 births 1929 deaths Architects from Philadelphia Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts University of Pennsylvania faculty