Henry Messmer (August 25, 1839–February 20, 1899) was a Swiss-American architect who practiced in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

from 1866 until his death. He was a prolific designer of institutional buildings as well as homes on Milwaukee's near north and east sides. With

Career

Born in Switzerland, Messmer studied architecture at

Heidelberg University Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest unive ...

and apprenticed in Europe before coming to Wisconsin in 1866. He worked as a draftsman in the offices of Leonard Schmidtner of Milwaukee and Col. Shipman of Madison before establishing his own architectural firm in Milwaukee in 1873. Messmer designed hundreds of brewery buildings, warehouses, and commercial buildings as well as middle-class homes over the next two decades, as well as a number of churches and schools. Prominent works include the churches of St. Hedwig's (1886), St. Hyacinth (1882), and

Saints Peter and Paul Peter and Paul may refer to: * Saint Peter and Paul the Apostle considered together ** Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, 29 June in the Catholic liturgical calendar ** St. Peter and St. Paul's Church (disambiguation) * ''Peter and Paul'' (film), 19 ...

(1890) in Milwaukee, St. Mary's in Port Washington (1881), and the rectory of St. Casimir's in Milwaukee. His son Robert A. Messmer joined the firm not long after graduating from

East Division High School Riverside University High School is a public high school located on the East Side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a college preparatory curriculum. It is a part of the Milwaukee Public Schools system. History Pre-1912 Starting in the early 1850 ...

in 1887, after which the firm was renamed H. Messmer & Son. With After Henry Messmer's death in 1899, Robert Messmer continued the firm under this name, later joined by his younger brother Henry J. Messmer, until about 1910, when it continued under the name R.A. Messmer & Brother.

References

19th-century American architects Architects from Milwaukee Swiss emigrants to the United States 1839 births 1899 deaths {{DEFAULTSORT:Messmer, Henry