Abram Garfield (November 21, 1872 – October 16, 1958) was an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

who practiced in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. He was the youngest son of President James A. Garfield and Lucretia Rudolph Garfield. He designed prominent residences and other buildings. A number of his works are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Early life

Abram Garfield was born in Washington D.C.https://planning.clevelandohio.gov/dompdf/architectDomPrint.php?afil=299,298,174&archID=94 In 1876 the family moved to what is now the

James A. Garfield National Historic Site James A. Garfield National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located in Mentor, Ohio. The site preserves the Lawnfield estate and surrounding property of James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States, and in ...

Mentor Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

, Ohio. Garfield received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. Located in Berkshire County, the town is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts metropolitan statis ...

in 1893 and a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in architecture 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 ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

three years later. He lived at 9718 Lake Shore Boulevard in Bratenahl.

Career

He began work as an architect in 1897, and in 1898 formed Meade & Garfield with Frank Meade in

; the firm was noted for its premier residential designs. When the partnership ended in 1905, Garfield opened his own firm. In 1926, he along with Rudolph Stanley-Brown, George R. Harris, and Alexander Robinson started an architectural practice. In 1935 it was renamed Garfield, Harris, Robinson and Schafer until Garfield’s death in 1958. The firm, which still exists, was known as Westlake, Reed, Leskosky Architects until 2016 when purchased by DLR group. Garfield specialized in residential architecture, designing large houses in

Shaker Heights Shaker or Shakers may refer to: Religious groups * Shakers, a historically significant Christian sect * Indian Shakers, a smaller Christian denomination Objects and instruments * Shaker (musical instrument), an indirect struck idiophone * Cockta ...

and other Cleveland suburbs, but his work also included more modest houses for the Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority and institutional projects such as schools and a hospital. Garfield served as chairman of the Cleveland Planning Commission from 1930 to 1942 and was a founder and first president of the Cleveland School of Architecture, which became part of

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

in 1941. He was named a trustee of the university that year and two years later was made an honorary lifetime member of the board; he received an honorary doctorate from Western Reserve University in 1945. Garfield was also a director 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 ...

from 1919 to 1922 and served on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from 1925 to 1930, including as vice chairman from 1929 to 1930. In 1949 he was elected into the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Frederick Styles Agate, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, an ...

as an Associate Academician. He lived in Bratenahl, Ohio. Garfield married Sarah Grainger Williams and together they had two children, Edward W. and Mrs. William R. Hallaran. After the death of his first wife, he remarried to Helen Matthews. Abram Garfield grave - Lake View Cemetery

Abram Garfield grave - Lake View Cemetery

Garfield died on October 16, 1958, at his home in Cleveland. He was buried at

Lake View Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a Private property, privately owned, Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Rural cemetery, garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland, Ohio, East Cleveland ...

in Cleveland.

Works

* W. H. Warner House (Warner-Racca House) at 2689 East Overlook Rd, Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Built 1898. Includes a French Chateaux-inspired circular staircase and ornate chimneys. * Jerome Zerbe-Samuel Halle House (Harcourt House) at 2163 Harcourt Drive in Cleveland Heights Ohio. Built 1905. Halle was part of Halle Brothers Co. * Mather House at Case Western Reserve University, built 1913-1915 * Casa Apava, an estate built in 1918 for Chester C. Bolton and Frances P. Bolton on Ocean Boulevard in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...

. After Ron Perelman sold this house and two adjoining properties to Dwight Schar in 2004 for a reported $70 million ($45 million for the house), ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' magazine described this as "the most expensive home ever sold in the U.S." It was sold for $71.2 million in 2015. * Elizabeth B. and Dudley S. Blossom Estate Service Compound, 24449 Cedar Rd.

Lyndhurst, Ohio Lyndhurst is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and an eastern suburb of Cleveland. The population was 14,050 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. A small part of Lyndhurst was originally part of Mayfield Township, Cuyahoga ...

(Garfield, Abram), NRHP-listed * Faxon-Thomas Mansion, now the

Hunter Museum of American Art The Hunter Museum of American Art is an art museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The museum's collections include works representing the Hudson River School, 19th century genre painting, American Impressionism, the Ashcan School, early modernism, r ...

, 10 Bluff View Ave.

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

(Garfield, Abram), NRHP-listed * Garfield Library, 7300 Center St.

Mentor, Ohio Mentor ( ) is the largest city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 47,450 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Mentor was first settled in 1797. In 1876, James A. Garfield purchased a home in ...

(Garfield, Abram), NRHP-listed * The Hangar, 24400 Cedar Rd. Beachwood, Ohio (Garfield, Abram), NRHP-listed * The College Club of Cleveland/Alexander House, 2348 Overlook Rd., Cleveland Heights, Ohio built 1904. * Hay-McKinney and Bingham-Hanna House, now the

Western Reserve Historical Society The Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) is a historical society in Cleveland, Ohio. The society operates the Cleveland History Center, a collection of museums in University Circle. The society was founded in 1867, making it the oldest ...

, 10825 East Blvd.

(Garfield, Abram), NRHP-listed * Jared A. Smith House, 2541 Kenilworth Rd., Cleveland Heights, Ohio built 1898. * John G. Oliver House, 7645 Little Mountain Rd. Mentor, Ohio (Garfield, Abram), NRHP-listed * Leonard Hall, a dormitory at

Kenyon College Kenyon College ( ) is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1824 by Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase. It is the oldest private instituti ...

. Built in 1924. * Pebble Hill Plantation, US 319, southwest of Thomasville

Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,881 in 2020. The city deems itself the "City of Roses" and holds an annual Rose Festival. The city features plantations open to the public, a histor ...

(Garfield, Abram), NRHP-listed * Helen Rockwell Morley Memorial Music Building at

Lake Erie College Lake Erie College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Painesville, Ohio. Founded in 1856 as a female seminary, the college converted to a coeducational institution in 1985. History Lake Erie Female Seminary The semi ...

Painesville, Ohio Painesville is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Grand River (Ohio), Grand River, it is a northeast suburb of Cleveland. Its population was 20,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Pa ...

https://revfrankhughesjr.org/images/About_the_Organ_and_Morley_Music_Hall.pdf

References

External links

* Howard Babcock
"Garfield's Son Recalls Tragedy"

Central Press Association The Central Press Association was American print syndication, newspaper syndication company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in business from 1910 to 1971. Originally independent, it was a subsidiary of King Features Syndicate from 1930 onwards. ...

in ''

Kentucky New Era The ''Kentucky New Era'' is the major daily newspaper in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in the United States. History The paper was founded in 1869 by John D. Morris and Asher Graham Caruth, as the ''Weekly Kentucky New Era.''1872 births 1958 deaths Architects from Cleveland

Abram Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

Children of presidents of the United States Williams College alumni MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni Burials at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland People from Bratenahl, Ohio