Albert Simons (horse Trainer)
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Albert Simons (1890 – 1980), had a sixty-year career as an architect and preservationist in
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
, where he is known for his preservation work and architectural design. He played a key role in the Charleston Renaissance. Simons helped to create many nationally prominent preservation functions such as the zoning ordinance for the historic district, the first such ordinance in America, with municipal austerity, and the first
Board of Architectural Review
As a professor at the
College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th-oldest institution of higher lea ...
for over 20 years, he started th
School of the Arts
whose building is named after him and is honored yearly through th
Simons Medal of Excellence


Early life and family

Born in 1890, Albert Simons descended from a long line of influential Charlestonians. His father, Dr. Thomas Grange Simons, was a physician and who encouraged public health through the advocacy of proper sewers and infrastructure. Simons' uncle,
William Martin Aiken William Martin Aiken (April 1, 1855 – December 7, 1908) was an American architect who served as Supervising Architect of the United States Treasury and during his appointment oversaw and participated in the design and construction of numerous ...
, was an architect who designed many large classical buildings such as "The Old Post Office Pavilion" in Washington, D.C., and in his capacity as architect to the United States Treasury, the Federal Mint in Philadelphia. Albert Simons enrolled at the College of Charleston for his first year and completed his B.S. and M.S. degrees in architecture 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 ...
. After graduation he traveled through Europe and Northern Africa studying architecture, and finished his trip studying at the Atelier Hébrard in Paris. During his travels, Simons created hundreds of wonderful travel sketches and watercolors, fulfilling the Beaux-Arts-instilled desire to learn through sketching great examples of architecture. Upon returning to Charleston in 1915, he became one of the first instructors of architecture at the Clemson School of Architecture. During this time, Simons worked briefly as a partner in the firm of Todd, Simons and Todd, until he volunteered to serve in the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. Simons also volunteered to serve in France in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


Simons & Lapham

In 1920, Simons joined forces with
Samuel Lapham VI Samuel Lapham VI (September 23, 1892 – 1972) was an American architect. Early life Lapham was born on September 23, 1892, in Charleston, South Carolina. He was the son of Samuel Lapham V and Annie Grey Soule (a direct descendant of Pilgrim Geor ...
to create the firm “Simons & Lapham.” Their practice focused primarily on traditional homes, however, they also did industrial, religious, educational, public, transportation projects and building restoration. Through the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, the firm remained successful. Their main commissions came through the federally funded
Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...
work, such as the
College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th-oldest institution of higher lea ...
gymnasium or large plantation projects funded by wealthy northerners. Throughout the years though, Simons received local and national acclaim for work in the areas of architectural design, preservation, and city planning. Samuel & Lapham worked actively with the City of Charleston government to protect and restore historic homes and was extensively involved with the
Historic American Buildings Survey The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
. Some of the firm's most famous work included assistance with restoration of the famous “ Rainbow Row”, the renovation of the Planter’s Hotel on Church St., into the Dock Street Theatre, and the design of the new
Memminger Auditorium Memminger Auditorium (also known as Festival Hall) is a live performance and special events venue in Charleston, South Carolina. PWA funding Local school officials had wanted to add an auditorium to the then-Memminger High School by the mid-19 ...
. In addition to their practice, both partners co-edited books of detailed historical research on the architecture of Charleston including, ''The Octagon Library of Early American Architecture'', Vol 1: Charleston, SC (1927) and ''Plantations of the Carolina Low Country'' (1939).


Other Achievements

In Simons' years of work in Charleston, he helped create the first historic district in America, the firs
Board of Architectural Review
(BAR), and worked actively as a Fellows 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 ...
(AIA). He was a founding member and played a key role in the Society for Preservation of Old Dwellings, known today as the
Preservation Society of Charleston Founded in 1920, the Preservation Society of Charleston is the oldest community-based historic preservation organization in the United States. Susan Pringle Frost founded the organization, first known as the Society for the Preservation of Old Dwe ...
, and as a leading member on the team that produced
This is Charleston: A Survey of the Architectural Heritage of a Unique American City
', a building-by-building study of the historic Charleston peninsula. Simons would also serve on the boards of many of Charleston’s civic and cultural institutions, including the boards of the
College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th-oldest institution of higher lea ...
, the
Charleston Museum The Charleston Museum is a museum located in the Wraggborough neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1773, it is the oldest museum in the United States. Its collection includes historic artifacts, natural history, decorative ...
, the
Charleston Library Society The Library Society's first permanent address, which it occupied from 1792 to 1835, was within what is now the Charleston County Courthouse at 82 Broad St. The Library Society was located at 50 Broad St. from 1835 to 1914. The Library Society ...
, St. Michael's Episcopal Church, and th
Poetry Society of Charleston
Albert Simons also worked closely with the City to decide the placement and design of the public housing projects in Charleston. These low rise (none over two stories) brick apartments were connected in the town house style with generous open space in both the front and the back. They were dispersed throughout several neighborhoods on the Charleston peninsula in a way that integrated them into the fabric of the city. Simons also accumulated a collection of architectural salvage that he donated to the
Charleston Museum The Charleston Museum is a museum located in the Wraggborough neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1773, it is the oldest museum in the United States. Its collection includes historic artifacts, natural history, decorative ...
to present it from feeding the market for salvage and incentivizing owners to gut their historic properties. The museum sold the collection at auction around 2009.


Simons Medal of Excellence
/h1>

Albert Simons began teaching at the
College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th-oldest institution of higher lea ...
in 1924, and created the first
Art History Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...
course at the College later that year. He continued to teach at the college until 1948. He helped this single course evolve into the School of the Arts. The College named the Albert Simons Center for the Arts for him at the cornerstone-laying ceremony in 1977. After the 20th anniversary of the
College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th-oldest institution of higher lea ...

School of the Arts
th
Simons Medal of Excellence
was established to honor individuals who have excelled in one or more of the areas in which Albert Simons excelled, including civic design, architectural design, historic preservation and urban planning. Past recipients have included: The Hon. Mayor
Joseph P. Riley Jr. Joseph Patrick Riley Jr. (born January 19, 1943) is an American politician who served as the 60th mayor of Charleston, South Carolina from 1975 to 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, he also served in the South Carolina House of Representativ ...
(2010)
John D. Milner
FAIA (2011),
Andres Duany Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres * "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7 See also ...
, FAIA, and
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk (born December 20, 1950) is a professor at the University of Miami's School of Architecture and an architect and urban planner in Miami, Florida. Plater-Zyberk is considered to be a representative of the New Urbanism scho ...
(2012),
Allan Greenberg Allan Greenberg (born September 7, 1938) is an American architect and one of the leading classical architects of the twenty-first century, also known as New Classical Architecture. He was the originator and leading practitioner of "canonica ...
and
Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...
(2013), Richard Jenrette an
Thomas Gordon Smith
(2014), Antoinette J. Lee (2015),
Robert A. M. Stern Robert Arthur Morton Stern (born May 23, 1939) is an American architect, educator, and author. He is the founding partner of the architecture firm, Robert A. M. Stern Architects, also known as RAMSA. From 1998 to 2016, he was the Dean of the Y ...
(2016),
Peter Pennoyer Peter Morgan Pennoyer American Institute of Architects, FAIA (born on February 19, 1957) is an American architect and the principal of Peter Pennoyer Architects, an architecture firm based in New York, New York, New York City and with an office in ...
(2017), and Martha A. Zierden (2018). Awardees are announced during January for th
spring ceremony


References


Further reading

* Hosmer, Charles Bridgham, Preservation Comes of Age: From Williamsburg to the National Trust, 1926-1949, : Univ of Virginia Press;, 1981 * Hutchisson,J., Building on the Past. Charleston Magazine. March 2007;21(3):92. * Severens,Kenneth, “Toward Preservation Before 1931: The Early Career of Albert Simons,” Preservation Progress, Spring 1993, 10, South Carolina Room, Vertical Files, Charleston County Public Library. * Simons, Albert; Lapham, Samuel Jr., The Early Architecture of Charleston.(Columbia, SC:
University of South Carolina Press The University of South Carolina Press is an Academic publishing, academic publisher associated with the University of South Carolina. It was founded in 1944. According to Casey Clabough, the quality of its list of authors and book design became s ...
), 1928. * Simons, Albert and W. H. Johnson Thomas, An Architectural Guide to Charleston, South Carolina, 1700-1900 (in manuscript form) * Lapham,Samuel; Simons,Albert; Samuel G. Stoney, Samuel G., Plantations of the Carolina Lowcountry, New York : Dover Publications in association with the Carolina Art Association, Charleston, S.C., 1989 * Smith, Alice R. Huger; Smith, Huger, D. E.; Simons, Albert, The Dwelling Houses of Charleston, Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1917. * Weyeneth, Robert R., Historic Preservation for a Living City: Historic Charleston Foundation, 1947-1997 (
Columbia, SC Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...
:
University of South Carolina Press The University of South Carolina Press is an Academic publishing, academic publisher associated with the University of South Carolina. It was founded in 1944. According to Casey Clabough, the quality of its list of authors and book design became s ...
, 2000), 17. * Yuhl,Stephanie, A Golden Haze of Memory, 43; “Charleston and Preservation,” Government Agency,
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
, (1998)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simons, Albert 1890 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American architects People from Charleston, South Carolina Architects from South Carolina University of Pennsylvania alumni Clemson University faculty